Braised balsamic chicken

We had this the other night for dinner and thought it was quite yummy! This is definitely a recipe I will be making again. It was quick and easy to make (always a plus!) and healthy. Great combo!

We had it with mashed cauliflower and some boiled carrots. It was a very filling dinner!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* ground black pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon garlic salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1 pound fresh diced tomatoes (I substituted canned tomatoes, and it worked well.)
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
* 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
* 2-3 cloves fresh garlic

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and saute the onion, fresh garlic, and seasoned chicken breasts until browned.
2. Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes.

Pumpkin fluff

We tried this recipe the other night. Both of us liked it. It is kind of a lighter version of pumpkin pie, because of the cool whip. You could use fat-free cool whip if you want. Make sure you get the canned pumpkin that is just pumpkin, not pie filling.

Pumpkin Fluff

12 oz can of pumpkin
8 oz cool whip lite
small package vanilla sugar free pudding mix
1 tbl pumpkin pie spice

Use mixer to whip all ingredients together.

Serve with:
Graham crackers or ginger cookies (dip them in) and dip them in, or try try putting this in the mini-pre made graham cracker crusts. Each of them only has 110 calories, and with the pumpkin fluff it's so satisfying! You can also just eat it in a bowl as a mousse.

Mashed cauliflower

Hubby and I tried this the other night. Obviously it isn't quite like regular mashed potatoes, but it was tasty. I made a modification, though. Instead of adding in some butter, I added in some fat-free half and half. I put in a splash, and kept adding a little bit at a time until it was the right consistency.

Mashed Cauliflower

Cook a bag of microwaveable pre-cut cauliflower as directed on the bag.

*Then put it into a food processor or blender with half a tablespoon of butter, a pinch of garlic powder,a pinch of onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

*If want it to be thicker you can dry the cauliflower with a paper towel before you blend it.

Cauliflower is very low in calories, so you can afford to use a small amount of butter.

Recipes

I had some requests to post a few recipes from last night. They're nothing fancy, but they're both delicious. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I didn't take any last night.


Party Pizzas

1 lb. roll - hot sausage
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Worcestershire (I usually double this)
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed (I use light Velveeta)
1 T. ketchup (optional)
loaf of party rye bread (or you can substitute thin white sandwich bread, cut into small pieces)

1. Brown the meat. Do NOT drain! (Yes, I know it's bad, but you need the grease.)
2. Stir in all the ingredients excepting bread (duh) until the cheese is melted.
3. Spoon the mixture onto the bread.
4. Back at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly brown on top.




Vodka Slush

7 cups water
2 cups sugar (I use 1 c. sugar and 1 c. Splenda)
4 tea bags (The recipes calls for black tea bags, but you can use regular.)
2 cups water (hot)
1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade
2 cups vodka
Sprite/7-Up

1. Place tea bags in 2 cups hot water. Stir until cool.
2. Add vodka.
3. Add in all other liquids excepting Sprite.
4. Freeze at least 24 hours.

Place 2 scoops in glass with Sprite. Yum!

What a mom!

I found this blog through another blog I was reading. This mom makes amazing lunches! I wonder how long they take her to make? I love the little containers she has in there to separate the foods and keep them from getting smushed.

Here are a few pictures of lunches:




After reading the blog more, I found that the containers came from here. I might actually order one (or two) of these. I feel bad about how many baggies I use, but the idea of washing them all to use again does not sound fun! I would have to go to Ellisville to buy them at a store, so I might order them.

Sweet FI

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to a wedding show today at West County Mall. My mom always helps me in my booth at these events. I couldn't leave the harp alone to get lunch or even go to the bathroom! Plus, it helps to have someone else to talk to potential clients if I'm playing a piece.

FI and my dad were working hard at my house while I was gone. My dad showed FI how to powerwash the deck, and FI finished it. We need to replace a few boards and restain the deck. FI also powerwashed the back side of the house. My dad was busy inside spackling some walls in the downstairs bedroom so my mom and I can repaint it soon. My sister's cat LOVED to scratch the drywall and left the walls pretty scratched up in some areas!

While I was packing up and coming home from the show, FI went to the grocery store to get food to cook for dinner. He's a great cook. His only flaw is that he tends to make WAY too much food for the two of us! He grilled some veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, onions, carrots, and peppers), made kabobs (chicken with veggies marinated in a greek marinade and steak and veggies), and made couscous. It was delicious and healthy!

He also bought me some of my second favorite flower - the stargazer lily. Most of them are still closed up waiting to bloom, so I will just post a picture of stargazer lilies.

Sugar and Spice Pecans

I made these yummy pecans for Bunco when I hosted last week. They were absolutely delicious! Quite a few people didn't have much room for dessert because they ate so many.

I made 1.5 batches because of the amount of pecans I had already bought. I ended up using 2/3 Splenda and 1/3 sugar to try and reduce the calories. On another website I read, a lady said she used all Splenda. I think I will try it next time.

This is something that would definitely be good to make around the holidays. It's easy to make, and people really enjoy it!

Sugar and Spice Pecans

50 min 5 min prep SERVES 16 , 4 cups

1 lb pecan halves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

1. Beat the egg white and water until frothy but not stiff.
2. Stir in the sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add the pecans and stir well until the pecans are completely coated.
4. Spread the nuts on a large baking sheet and bake at 200 degree Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Remove them from the oven when dry and toasted.
6. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Delicious cake!

This post is long overdue. I started this in mid April and totally forgot about it. Oops!

I made a delicious cake for a co-worker's birthday in April. I was a little worried about how the icing turned out, but it was fine. Everyone loved it. It was so moist and extremely chocolatey. (Is that a word? I think it should be.) I know we did not get 18 servings out of it. It's way too good for that small of a piece!

I bought some Betty Crocker white chocolate icing to decorate the top of the cake. It was really simple to use. You just snip the tip, put the package in the microwave, and voila - a gorgeous cake!

Best-Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:1 hr 30 min

Makes:18 servings, one slice each

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
4 eggs
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 tub (8 oz.) frozen COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans. Chop 2 of the chocolate squares; set aside. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Stir in chopped chocolate. Spoon into prepared pans.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

PLACE frozen whipped topping and remaining 6 chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Place one cake layer on serving plate; top with one-fourth of the chocolate mixture and second cake layer. Spread top and side with remaining chocolate mixture. Garnish with almonds. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Snails

Snails are what we make out of our leftover pie crust. When we were little, sometimes my nana would make a whole batch of snails and not make any pies. We used to have tea parties with nana. She would make snails, put milk in her Beatrix Potter teapot, and then read us a story or two. Fond memories.

Snails are very easy to make.

1. Make the pie crust mentioned in a prior post.



2. Roll out the pie crust.



3. Spread some margarine on the crust.



4. Top with a cinnamon sugar mixture.



5. Roll up the crust like a jelly roll.



6. Cut into small pieces.



7. Bake at 375 for a few minutes (I have no idea how long - just keep an eye on them).

They are most delicious when they're warm right out of the oven. They're also good when cooled, though.

Pies!! (Part 1 - crust recipe and lemon)

Friday was my fiance's birthday. His favorite pie from my nana's pies is lemon pie. It's also one of my favorites. My sister's birthday was Monday. Her favorite pie is blueberry. Well, I couldn't disappoint one of them, so I made both pies. I took several pictures of the steps and will include the recipes.

It definitely took a while to make them. They were really yummy, though. Definitely worth it!

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Pastry for 2 Crust Pie

Makes 1 9-inch double crust

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup Crisco
• 5 to 7 tablespoons ice water (I don't know why ice water - but it works!)

1) Spoon flour lightly into cup. Level off. Sift flour and salt together in bowl.

2) Cut in Crisco with pasty blender until mixture forms particles slightly larger than grains of rice.

3) Spring with ice water, 1 T at a time until all particles are uniformly moistened and will barely stick together.

4) Shape mixture into a ball. Divide. Roll out each 1/2 on lightly floured pastry cloth.

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Scintillating Lemon Pie

(Note: This is very different from most lemon pies. It is NOT a type of meringue. I don't like meringue pies. This is delicious!)

Ingredients:

• Pastry for a 2 crust (9 inch) pie, divided (recipe above)



• 1 1/2 T sugar



• 1 tsp. cinnamon



• 3 lemons



• 1 1/2 cups sugar



• 1/3 cup butter



• 3 T flour



• 3 eggs



• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Prehead over to 375 degrees. Roll out 1/2 of the dough into 9-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Place wedges on cookie sheet.



2. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl. Sprinkle over pastry wedges. Bake at 375 for no longer than 5 minutes, or until set. Remove from cookie sheet and set aside.



3. Grate vellow part of rind. Set aside.



4. Cream sugar, butter, and flour in mixer bowl. Beat in eggs. Beat in lemon juice. Stir in reserved ring.



5. Roll out remaining pastry to form 9-inch pie shell. Place in pie pan.



6. Pour lemon mixture into prepared pie shell.



7. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.



8. Arrange baked pastry wedges on top of filling and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until filling is firm.

Yum-o! Here's a piece all ready to eat!