on mexican chicken soup...

I made this Mexican Chicken Soup the other day when it was still a little cooler out. Soon soup is going to be something we look forward to eating in the Fall but I had to sneak it in and quick. My husband is not a soup fan and when I told him this soup was on our weekly meal plan, well let's just say he wasn't enthused. But alas, in the end he was praising how good this soup was and I quote I don't know what you put in here but I can't stop eating it! 

Even though this is a light soup it will totally heat things up!

Ingredients: 

4 cups chicken broth 

1 can red kidney beans

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion

4 clove garlic

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 tablespoons chipotle chilies in adobe sauce, finely chopped 

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon chili powder 

1 avocado, sliced

shredded cheddar on top

Directions: 
1// In a large pot heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic. On medium heat cook onion & garlic until it browns and then add chicken breast strips. Saute everything until meat is cooked through. Add chipotle chilies in adobe sauce, cumin and chili powder, stir for 2 minutes. 
2// Add red kidney beans & chicken broth . Cover pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. 
3// Add cilantro, juice of one lime and salt & pepper and all the flavors cook for another 10 minutes. 
4// Divide soup into bowls and top with sliced avocado & shredded cheddar. 

Enjoy!

on skillet chicken with honey dill chipotle glaze...

Skillet Chicken with Honey Dill Chipotle Glaze was my first dish made in my lovely new cast iron skillet. It turned out wonderful and I have fallen in love with how this chicken dish turned out in the cast iron. I swear ever since I bought this skillet I've been making all kinds of things in it! 

Ingredient: 
4 chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Honey Dill Chipotle Glaze
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons honey 
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Directions:
1// Combine four, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic powder, paprika and parsley in a one gallon Ziploc bag. Place chicken breast in the bag and shake to coat chicken. Then in a mixing bowl whisk together egg, milk and lemon juice. Dip flour coated chicken into egg mixture and then place right back into the bag to coat chicken with flour once again. 
2// Heat oil and fry chicken until golden brown. 
3// Meanwhile in a small sauce pan add all the ingredients for glaze. Cook on low heat until glaze thickens and bubbles. Drizzle on top of chicken and serve. 

Enjoy!

on deviled eggs 2 ways...

Happy Easter everyone! I hope all of you are able to spend quality time with family and friends. We started our morning with a visit from the Easter bunny. Sebastian was very happy to see some goodies waiting for him in the living room. And soon we'll be getting ready to head over to my in law's to enjoy some great food and lots of laughs.  

I don't know about you but deviled eggs are a tradition for us. Easter isn't Easter without deviled eggs and I always manage to make a Traditional Deviled Egg and then another kind. This year I created a Chicken Dill Deviled Egg. They turned out delicious and so I knew I had to share just in case any of you need a quick idea for this morning before all your guest come! Get crackin'!

Classic Deviled Egg
Ingredients:
10 eggs hard boiled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
paprika for garnish

Directions:
1// Boil eggs. Cut hard boiled eggs in half and scoop out the yellow yolk into a mixing bowl. Add all the rest of the ingredients in with the yolk. Using a kitchen aid or hand mixer blend everything together until mixture becomes creamy.
2// Pipe yolk mixture into eggs and sprinkle paprika on top.

When making these Chicken Dill Deviled Eggs I simple added the following ingredients to half of the recipes above. Since I was making two different kinds it was easier this way. 

Chicken Dill Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
*use all the same base ingredients as above*
1 chicken breast, minced
1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce 
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped 

Directions: 
1// Mix all the ingredients above into the other half of the Classic Deviled Eggs. 
2// Garnish each egg with a sprig of dill.

Tip: Hard boiling eggs can be a challenge. I like to say that I have perfected it. I know many people that always tell me that they despise making hard boiled eggs because when they go to peel them it's never simple and clean. 
One of my favorite food bloggers went and tested three different hard boiling methods and found that the "Quick Boil and Let Sit" method works the best. Funny, because that method has always been the one that I've used!! I swear by it and so if you aren't familiar with this method jump on over to Baked Bree and check it out. I will never us any other way.
** Also I scoop the deviled egg mixture into a ziplock back and use that to pipe it into the egg whites. So simple and less messy.**

Have a great day!
xoxo.

on chocolate chip cheesecake bars...

 

I'm not a huge cheesecake fan but every now and again I'll get a craving for some. This time I sat down and wanted to think of making cheesecake but different. And these Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars were the best idea. I like how there's cheesecake yet at the same time I get a little chocolate fix. These little bars are easy to make and when they are done in the oven you can hardly wait to get your hands on them. My family will have the pleasure of sampling these tomorrow at Easter. What are you making for Easter? Any sweets? I'm always one to bring the baked goods to any family gathering! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

chocolate chip crust:

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup flour 

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

cheesecake filling:

2-8oz packages cream cheese, room temperature 

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions: 

preheat oven to 350°

1// Start with chocolate chip crust by creaming together sugar and butter. Then add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined. 

2// In a separate medium bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture and mix until everything blended. Lastly fold in chocolate chips.

3// In a 13x9 baking pan press chocolate chip dough to the bottom leaving 1/2 cup dough for topping. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. 

4// For the cream cheese filling grab a mixing bowl add cream cheese and sugar. Blending until creamy. Add egg and vanilla. 

5// Once the crust is down, pour it the cream cheese over the crust and spread evenly. Next using a teaspoon drop the remaining dough right on top of the cream cheese filling. Set back in the oven and bake another 35-40 minutes. Let it cool and then cut into the bars!

 xoxo.

on a quick tip...

Did you know you can make up some buttermilk right in your kitchen? Yup! You bet! No more having to run out to the store just because you have no buttermilk. Tonight I came home from work and saw the pack of pork chops I took out earlier in the day knowing that I was going to make some kind of dinner out of them and realize that I hadn't thought of a single thing to make. It's funny because I knew I wanted to make it a quick meal because well, because really all day I've been daydreaming about the minute I get to plant my butt on the couch. So there I was standing dumbfounded in my own kitchen with these really great thawed pork chops and wondering what in the hell I was going to make. Here's a little secret for you guys, sometimes I go on this very blog, my own blog, and get dinner inspiration. I know right, you just can't believe it. I came across my Home-Style Pork Chops and it sounded perfect for tonight! Except one problem. No. Buttermilk. So I just made some!

All you need:
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 cup milk 

Mix both together and let it sit. The milk will curdle which is fine. It's suppose to do that. After about 5-10 minutes go ahead and whisk it all together. Done! It will make 1 cup of buttermilk. Keep it in a mason jar or air tight container. Easy right?

xoxo.

on cilantro ginger hummus...

I took a three day hiatus from the blog. Sometimes you just need that, you know what I mean? It was a nice because I did some things that I don't normally have time for like give myself a fancy manicure which we all know that takes some time to do. Also I took Sebastian to see that new kid's movie out The Croods. Sebastian and I give it two thumbs up! We loved every second of it and I highly recommend it if you have a little one.
So, now that I'm back I wanted to share a fun hummus recipe with you. I adore hummus. I use my food processor the most to make all kinds of hummus. I'm on a huge cilantro kick lately and this Cilantro Ginger combo has become my favorite out of all that I've experimented with. Making hummus is super easy and I always like to keep some in the fridge to snack on with Wheat Thins or toasted pitas! Yum! 

Cilantro Ginger Hummus
Ingredients: makes about 2 cups
1- 15 0z can chickpeas, drained 
1/4 cup Tahini (sesame paste) 
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinaigrette 
1 garlic clove
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup cilantro
1 whole plum tomato
2 whole scallions 

Direction:
1// Combine everything into a food processor and puree until it becomes smooth. Easy! 
tip: if you like your hummus a bit more smooth or runny then instead of draining the can of chickpeas leave about 1/4 cup and add it in with everything else. If you enjoy hummus to be a little bit on the thick creamy side then go ahead and stick to my recipe. 

Have you made hummus? What's your favorite kind to make? 

xoxo. 

on cheddar sage biscuits...

These turned out amazing if I do say so myself. I've never made homemade biscuits and I'm pretty excited about how these turned out. I had already planned ahead of time that we were going to have creamed chipped beef for breakfast and had the longing to get a bit fancy with biscuits instead of just using regular toasted bread. 

These Cheddar Sage Biscuits are perfect to have with something like creamed chipped beef for example or even making breakfast sandwiches out of them. And I don't see why you can't enjoy them along side a meal. Sage is one of my favorite herbs to cook with. The aroma it gives off while baking or cooking is beyond words. I can't even give you a description that will give the taste of it alone any justice. So with that being said you'll just need to make them to really truly understand anything I've just said. Okay? Yeah. Good. 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour 
2 tablespoons fresh sage 
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, chopped into cubes
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup buttermilk 

Directions: 
1// Preheat oven to 400°. Aline a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2// Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, pastry blender or even your kitchen aid (which is what I did and it worked just fine) add cubed up cold butter and work it into the dry ingredients. Keep working butter into the dry ingredients until it starts looking like course meal and crumbles. 
3// Add buttermilk. In the bowl, using your hands work the buttermilk until everything starts to hold together. Next work in the sage and cheddar cheese. 
4// Transfer to a floured work station and roll out dough to about 1/2 inches thick. Use a round cutter (or the top of a mason jar!) and press down,  twist and place on baking sheet. Brush tops of biscuits with some buttermilk and place them in the oven. 
5// Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!