Chicken Marinara Boats

Hello friends!! I wanted to make something fun and unusual for dinner one night and while I was in the grocery store...IT CAME TO ME! Chicken Marinara Boats!! This is an amazing recipe that is a lot of fun to make :) (You can also have the kiddos help you make it!!) 

LET'S GET STARTED!!

Ingredients:

1 Loaf of Italian Bread

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Cloves of Garlic

1/2 of a Onion

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Jar of Marinara Sauce

6 Slices of Mozzarella Cheese (or any cheese you have!) 

Salt 

Pepper

Directions:

FIRST: Cut your chicken into about 1/2 inch strips. Once that is complete coat your pan with olive oil and garlic and onion in the bottom of a pan! Let the onions cook until they are translucent, then add your chicken! Preheat your oven at 350 degrees when your chicken goes in the pan so you are ready! :) 

NEXT: While you are waiting for your chicken to finish and your oven to heat, take your loaf of bread and cut down the middle. Take all the extra bread out of the middle of the loaf so it makes a nice little boat for the chicken! (See image Below!)

Try not to get any holes in the bread! (I know...I have some holes...)

NOW: Once your chicken is just about done cooking, add your peppers and salt and pepper and let that cook for about 10 minutes. This will cause the peppers to soften but still have a crunch!

After you let your peppers cook for a little while, put the chicken into the bread boats! After you have distributed the chicken evenly throughout the two halves, put a even amount of marinara sauce and cheese on top of each one. (You can use baking sheets for the Marinara Boats so it's easier to cut and serve!)

I ran out of Mozzarella cheese so I used Sharp Cheddar cheese! :) It was still yummy!!

And for the LAST STEP: Put your Chicken Marinara Boats into your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the bread gets nice and crispy!! 

HERE'S THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!! :D Yes, my husband was excited about this dish so he already served himself before I got to take a picture of it!! 

I hope you all love this dish as much as we did :) 

and as always :) 

MUCH LOVE AND HAPPY COOKING!! :) 

Chicken Alfredo on Pita Bread

Hello all my fellow chefs!!! I have been so busy with life lately that I have not been able to post anything! So HERE I GO!

One night, I was struggling to find anything in my fridge or pantry that sounded good for dinner. I came across chicken, heavy cream, and pita bread! So I was inspired to make a very common, clean-out-your-pantry kind of meal :) 

LETS GET STARTED FRIENDS!!

Ingredients:

For meat:

2 Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breasts

Salt 

Pepper

For Alfredo Sauce:

2 tablespoons of Organic Butter

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1 teaspoon of flour

2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

1/4 cup of Mozzarella Cheese

1 Teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes

(Has anyone else noticed that I am IN LOVE with using Red Pepper Flakes!!??) 

Directions:

FIRST: Take your two chicken breasts and cube the meat into about 1 inch cubes. Once that is complete add some salt and pepper just to bring out the natural flavors of the meat :)

NEXT: Place about a tablespoon of olive oil on the bottom of your pan so the chicken doesn't stick. Once the oil is heated up you can throw your chicken in and let it cook.

While your chicken is cooking, grab all the ingredients needed for your VERY SIMPLE Alfredo sauce.

In a small saucepan, add the butter and let it melt on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic and let it cook for about a minute. Do not let your garlic burn, it will taste disgusting, so make sure you are stirring the garlic around in the butter. 

Once the garlic has had time to cook down, add your heavy cream and whisk together for about 10 minutes. 

Add your flour (this is used as a thickening agent!) and your mozzarella. Once you add the cheese, you HAVE TO CONTINUALLY STIR THE SAUCE. Do not let the cheese melt to the bottom of the pan, it will burn and leave a lot of the flavor behind!! 

Once the sauce has thickened, go ahead and pull it off the heat. 

And your ready to serve!!! 

As soon as I took this picture I realized that it didn't have enough toppings! So what i suggest is getting a little crunch and color in the mix!! I would add some kind of peanut, and tomato! These little touches will send the recipe over the edge! But of course, this was a clean out the pantry kind of meal :) 

I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS MY FAMILY DID!! AND AS ALWAYS....

MUCH LOVE AND HAPPY COOKING!!! :) 

Cheesecake with a Raspberry Sauce

Well!! My recipe was a success!! My husband LOVED his cake and I was very pleased with my work :)

This is a very rich and delicious cheese cake that is bound to please a crowd!

LETS GET STARTED!!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1 tbsp of Granulated sugar
^^ This section is for the crust^^
2 lbs if cream cheese
1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsps all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

For the sauce:
1 package of raspberries
4 Tablespoons of water
4 tbsps of white granulated sugar

Directions!!

Alright lets get started on this delicious cake :)
Make sure you have your oven preheated and your ingredients pulled out so you can move quickly when needed!

Let's first start with the crust! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While that is preheating, take your grahmn crackers, put them in a tight bag, and crush them! (I used the grahmn cracker bag and it worked just fine!)

Next, completely melt your butter in small or medium saucepan. Once your butter is completely melted, add your grahmn crackers and sugar, and mix until warm.

Once the sugar, butter, and grahmn crackers are mixed thoroughly, place it gently in your SPRING FORM PAN and push along the edges to even the crust out. (Make sure you spray your pan with non-stick spray!!)

Place your crust in your preheated oven for about 7 minutes, you don't want to go much longer or your crust will burn!! Once the crust is done, take out of oven and let sit until you are ready to add your filling!!

Now for the cheesecake part :) 

Increase your oven to 400 degrees once your crust is done and out! 

THEN,  Put your cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and mix until creamy and smooth. Next add your sugar, and flour. Beat this until it is mixed and smooth :) 

Next, beat in your vanilla extract, orange and lemon zest! AFTER THAT: Add your eggs in ONE AT A TIME!! (Remember, only 2 egg yolks, so do not add 5 entire eggs!) Mix each egg into the mixure until it is nice a creamy!

Once all your eggs are in the mixture, add your heavy cream and whip the mixture until it is light and whipy. (Yes you will see little air bubbles and that is completely normal AND WHAT YOU WANT!)

After your done with the mixture, grab a little butter and grease the side of the pan so the cake will not stick to the edges of the pan.

^^I took a picture of the pan to show those who do not know what a springform pan is, can see the pan :) It's wise to get one when making a cheese cake, or it might be a little messy coming out of a normal pan!! 

Put your cheesecake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Once those 15 minutes are up, turn the oven down to 200 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes!

Once the baking is done, turn the oven off and let your cheesecake sit in the oven for 2 hours. This will allow the cake to cool gradually and keep its shape well!!

Once the 2 hours in up, place in the fridge over night and it will be a lovely moist cake :) 

now for the sauce :) 

Take your fruit, sugar and water, and put in a small sauce pan. Your stove should be on low so the sugar doesn't burn :) The sugar should start dissolving after 5 minutes. Once you see the sugar dissolve, turn the heat up to medium and let he mixture combine well. The raspberries will become soft and combine with the water, sugar mixture. 

You can serve this sauce either warm or cold!! IT'S SO YUMMY!!! You can always add more sugar if your raspberries are a littel more tart then normal :)

THEN YOUR FINALLY DONE!! :) 

Yes, this recipe takes a while, but baking takes patience!!

I'm sure you will love this recipe as much as my husband and I did :) And yes, I know there are candles in my cake for my husband...the candles signify his age at heart :) <3

I hope you will try this recipe and realize that baking is easier then you think :) AND FUN!! Don't be afraid of baking just because your measurements have to be spot on!! Once you get a recipe down, you can play with it all you want :)

And as always.....

Much Love and Happy Cooking!!!

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup!

Here comes the fall weather!! It's 63 degrees today and I decided I wanted to make a nice pot of soup for dinner! I can't believe it's already fall! WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE??!!!

This recipe is very simple but has a little bit of prep time before the actual cooking begins : )

Ingredients!
1 bunch of broccoli
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 red-skinned potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon of ground Nutmeg
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
One 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
Salt
Pepper
2 Green onions for garnishing

Directions!!
Alright first things first....CHOP CHOP CHOP! Chop your red-skinned potatoes, onions, and broccoli. When you are cutting the broccoli, make sure you separate the stem from the florets. DO NOT THROW THE STEM AWAY!!!! Cut the very bottom of the stem off and discard. The rest of the stem, wash and peel the first layer off with a potato peeler. The stem is actually very tender and full of nutrients, so whenever you can save it, SAVE IT!!

Combine the onion, stems of the broccoli, and potatoes in a large pot and let cook and become tender. I also drizzled some olive oil to help the potatoes stay moist and keep everything from sticking on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onions are nice and tender.

Next, add the flour and stir until everything is coated. The flour will act as a thickening agent and will make the soup nice a thick! Next, add your chicken stock and let it come to a boil. Once it is at a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

While you are waiting for the boil, grab another small pot and combine your broccoli florets and a 1/2 cup of water and let the vegetables steam. Steam your broccoli for about 5 minutes and then add the entire contents to the soup. Also, add your nutmeg and stir in the mixture.

See how it's all starting to come together!!??? :)

Next, take the soup off the heat and add your cheese, Worcestershire Sauce, and evaporated milk. Mix this until the cheese is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper and YOU ARE DONE!!

This is what your end result should look like :) When you serve, garnish with the green onion and it will make it SO DELICIOUS!!!!

This is an amazing recipe to have when the air is nice and crisp and cool!! I hope you all love it as much as I do!!

And as always....... :)

Much Love and Happy Cooking :) 

White Chicken Corn Chili

Hello everyone!!! :) It has been a while since my last post! Between school, work, and taking care of the little one, I have had NO time to try new recipes out!!

UNTIL LAST NIGHT!!! This recipe is sooo yummy!! I pulled a recipe from the internet to see if I could doctor it up and make it what I like. But turns out, I never even followed the recipe, other then SOME of the ingredients! :)

I apologize ahead of time, there are no pictures :( I forgot to take one!!!!

Alright lets get started!! :)

Ingredients!!
Chicken Stock
2 cans of white canned beans (or bean of your choice!)
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of green chili's
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2-3 ears of corn
1 pound of cubed COOKED chicken
Pepper
Salt

Directions!!
Alright this recipe is very easy!!! Make sure your chicken is cooked ahead of time! I just boiled my chicken a few hours before I started cooking this meal. You can grill or even bake your chicken. It's really your preference :)
FIRST:  Mince your garlic and onion and saute them in the bottom of your large pot with some olive oil until the onion is nice and tender!
NEXT:  Put your chicken stock, tomatoes, chili, spices, and beans in the pot. Let that come to a simmer and let sit for 10 minutes at least!
THEN: Add your corn and chicken and also let that simmer for at least 10 minutes. (You can put as much or as little of corn and chicken as you like! MY family LOVES corn so I put 3 ears of corn in the chili!)

This was a great recipe to have when Colorado was getting sooo much rain!! It's also a great recipe to freeze and keep until your ready to use it! Just make sure you add more chicken stock if you plan on making this a freezer meal :)

My family loved this and ate soooo much of it, I could hardly get anything to eat! This is a mild recipe, (but you can make it spicy if you like!) so it was easy for my little baby to eat.

I hope you all love this recipe as much as my family did :)
And as always.....

Much love and happy cooking :) 

Broiled Tilapia with a Mustard Chive Sauce

HELLO EVERYONE!!!! It's been forever since my last post and I am so excited to share this new DELICIOUS RECIPE with you all!

This meal is SUPER easy, fast, and very healthy for you.

Ingredients:
FISH:
4 Tilapia Fillets
Olive Oil (for drizzling)
Salt
Pepper

SAUCE:
1/4 cup of plain FULL-FAT Greek yogurt
2 taspoons of honey
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/4 FRESH lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped chives
Salt
Pepper

Directions!!
FIRST! Start the broiler on your oven to 550. Then lay your fish on a sprayed baking sheet and drizzle the with olive oil, and season the with salt and pepper. Then set aside until you are ready!! (make sure you have defrosted your fish ahead of time!!)

NEXT!! Grab a small bowl and combine your yogurt, honey, and mustard until smooth. Then add your lemon juice and chives!! (be careful with the lemon juice, it may be too sour for some!! so add as much as you would like!) 

Once you put your fish in, cover the sauce and place in the fridge. You will cook your fish for about 8 minutes, or until the fish is nice and flakey!! :) 

THEN YOUR DONE!!!!!!!!! 
I mean how easy was that??? Literally, this recipe took me 10 minutes to prepare and cook!! And on top of all that, it's such an inexpensive meal, with some big flavors!! :) 

I really hope you enjoy this healthy, and delicious dish!! :)

And as always...

MUCH LOVE AND HAPPY COOKING!! :) 

Pulled Pork Wontons!

Hello my fellow chefs!!! :) I decided I was going to try a recipe that was SO OUT OF MY LEAGUE!! And it actually turned out soooo yummy!!! This is a crock pot recipe so it's easy cooking!!! :)

Anticipate 30 min of prep time before cooking

Ingredients:
1 pkg of Wonton Wrappers
1 bone in, pork shoulder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cloves of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 cup orange marmalade
1 medium onion chopped

Dipping Sauce:
Sriracha Hot Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Combine the two and you are set!!

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together orange marmalade, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside. Once that it complete, chop your medium onion and place at the bottom of the crock pot! (I used a red onion for the pigment and I love the way they cook!!) Place the roast on top of the layer of onions and add the sauce. Set the crock pot on low heat and let cook for 8-10 hours!! :)

Once your roast is all done and delicious, pull apart he meat with two forks. Once you have all the meat in a bowl, add more coy sauce and a dash of salt and pepper! Next, grab 4 wonton wrappers and add a teaspoon of meat in the middle of the wrapper. (If you over stuff these little guys, they will come apart in the fryer!) Take a basting brush (or your fingers work too!) and brush water on the edges of the wrapper. (Do this process one by one so the water doesn't dry) Fold the corners over so it makes a triangle, this way you can get the most meat possible in the wrapper!

Fry the wonton on each side for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown! I used coconut oil to fry the wontons with :) A little bit healthier!!

The ending product should look like this!!!!

This recipe was a gamble!!! I was expecting it to be DISGUSTING and then we would have to get pizza! BUT IT WAS YUMMY!!!

Take that chance and make a dish that scares you a little!!! I promise you WILL NOT regret it :) You can only get better with every dish you make :)

I hope you all love this recipe!! It was a TON of fun to make!!

Much Love and Happy Cooking!!!! :) 

Crispy Asian Chicken Salad

Here is a brand new recipe that I absolutely LOVED!!! Every ingredient i used was organic, but of course you can use any ingredients you like :) 

Ingredients:

Anticipate 1 hr and 30 min for preperation and cooking

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Cloves of Garlic (finely diced) 

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce

1/2 Teaspoon Sriracha Sauce

2 Tablespoons seasoned Brown Rice Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 cup Bread Crumbs

1 cup Flour

Pinch of Black Pepper

Directions:

Cut the chicken into 2 inch strips. Then combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (besides the bread crums and flour of course!!). Once you add the chicken, cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour! That way, all the ingredients can marinate the chicken and make it super yummy!!!

Once the chicken has marinated, take out a large sauté pan and coat the pan with either, olive oil, or coconut oil. (I personally love the way the chicken tastes after frying in coconut oil!!) 

Be sure not to flip the chicken too much, or the breading will fall off of the chicken. 

Once the chicken is done, get out your salad and place the chicken on top!! :) 

AND YOUR MEAL IS DONE!!!! :) 

I really hope everyone enjoys this recipe!! :) I would love feedback as well so feel free to comment on any recipe :) 

Much love and HAPPY COOKING!!!

Low Calorie Tilapia Filet's

Hello Everyone!!

I'm sure you all will be happy to know, I am trying to eat healthier, which means...HEALTHIER RECIPES!!!! 

This recipe is super easy and it has sooo much flavor!!

Ingredients:
3 Tilapia Fillets 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Blackening Seasoning
Chile Powder
Baby spinach

Directions:
FIRST!! Rinse your tilapia fillets under cold water (make sure you are very careful handling the fish! they are very delicate!) and place them on a plate. Next, grab your blackening seasoning, Chile powder and olive oil!! Sprinkle the blackened seasoning, and child powder on your fish and gently rub the spices into the fish. The longer your fish can soak up those spices, the better it will be!! :) 

Next, start to heat your frying pan to 350 and drizzle some olive oil on the pan! (The picture above has the olive oil in the fish, but the spices don't stay on the fish that well, so put the oil in the pan!! :)) While that is heating up, get a few handfuls of baby spinach and place on a serving plate!

Place the fish in the pan and cover! Tilapia will cook FAST so keep an eye on them. (I would say about 5-7 min per side will do!!) Once your fish is done, take it out of the pan and place the fish GENTLY (can't stress that enough) on the platter!! All of the running spices and oil will make the spinach tender and so delicious!!!

HERE'S YOUR FINISHED PRODUCT!!!!

I really hope you guys enjoy this recipe :) It's an easy, healthy meal that is truly inexpensive!!! :) 

MUCH LOVE AND HAPPY COOKING!!!

Honey BBQ Spicy Chicken Wings!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!!!

It's been sooo long since my last post!! But here is a simple, inexpensive meal that I'm sure you all will LOVE!!

Ingredients!
Chicken Wings (as many as you want!! I did about 8)
1 cup BBQ Sauce
1 tbsp of Red Chile Flakes
1 tsp of Olive Oil
1 tbsp of Honey
Pepper
Salt

Directions!!
Now before you start your grill, you should prepare the meat first! That way it can marinate for about 30 minutes!

When you are working with poultry, make sure you run the meat under warm water and cut any access fat off that you don't desire. FIRST! Take your salt and pepper and season your chicken to your liking! Next, take your red chile flakes, BBQ sauce, olive oil, and honey, and put all your ingredients on your chicken! HINT HINT: The olive oil helps your meat stay moist!!!  Mix the ingredients together very well so every spice hits each chicken leg!

Make sure that EVERYTHING THAT TOUCHED RAW CHICKEN IS PUT IN THE SINK AND WASHED!!!! 

After you have all the ingredients in the bowl, cover the bowl and place in refrigerator to let sit and soak in all the yummy goodness!!

Grill until the chicken in COMPLETELY DONE and clear fluid is coming out of the meat!!

once that is done..... ENJOYYY!!!

And yes, I realize an AFTER COOKING picture is missing, but that is just because we devoured the meal so fast I didn't have time to take a picture!!!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe!!

LOVE AND HAPPY COOKING TO YOU ALL!!! 

The Joys of Seasoning!! :)

Cooking tip #2!!!

SEASONING!!! When you are seasoning ANYTHING  if you cannot see your seasoning, you DID NOT put enough in.

For example, I was just making a tomato sauce and I added pepper and parsley (real light seasoning). Once I stirred my sauce, the seasoning disappeared! So what do you do when that happens??? ADD MORE OF COURSE!!!! Add more pepper and more parsley! Add another teaspoon or so and then stir your sauce or whatever you are seasoing, and if you can fantley see it you did great!!! The parsley made my dish pop with color as well as adding nice aromatics!! :)

If you are marinating any meat, put a healthy coat of dry rub on BOTH sides!

Your dishes will taste so flavorful and even when you make a simple tomato sauce like I did, that seasoning will take it to the next level! Just make sure you add enough or your meal will taste...just...average..and NO ONE wants that!!!

HAPPY COOKING!!!! 

Cooking Tips!

Cooking tip #1:

BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER! 

In my opinion you can NEVER have enough butter!! So, with that said, enjoy the fatty flavor of butter! When you cook any meat, inclduing fish, you can stick about 1 tbsp of butter right on top or, if your cooking chicken, stick the butter underneath the skin.

Butter will make your recipe POP! 

I learned to show respect for butter from watching Paula Dean's cooking shows on the Food Network!

For those of you who hate butter, tell me what you substitue your dishes with!! 

I will now start putting recipes AND cooking tips for you all!! :)