Simple Chicken "Parmesan"

This is a delicious and quick dinner I just came up with tonight. Nick ate about 3/4ths of the pan--seriously! Hopefully, you'll enjoy it just as much.

Recipe: Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are)

1/4 box spaghetti, cooked and drained

3/4 cup spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup italian dressing (I used this Lite Northern Italian w/Basil & Romano)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

several frozen pre-cooked chicken strips--grilled or breaded

Heat oven to 400*. Mix sauce, italian dressing, and pasta. In a large oven-proof pan, cook chicken until heated thoroughly and remove from pan. Turn off heat. Place pasta into pan, layer on chicken, and cheeses. Heat in the oven until cheese is melted. (Or broil until cheese is browned.) Serve and enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Scones

These are some Chocolate Chip Scones I made for church on Sunday. Of course they were a huge hit. Everyone always loves them. They are super quick to make and are great gifts--once I gave a couple scones and some tea as take home gifts after a tea party. Anyways, try them out sometime; they make a great go-to snack or breakfast.

Recipe: Makes about 12 (depending on how big or small you make them)

3 cups AP flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar + 2 tbsp

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup soy cream*

3/4 cup soy milk plus a splash of apple cider**

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (minis work better I think)

Heat oven to 400* and lightly grease cookie sheet. In a small bowl set aside soy milk and apple cider vinegar. In a large bowl, sift (please sift!!) flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Mix in soy milk, creamer, oil and vanilla. Mix just until combined--dough will be slightly clumpy. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop 1/4 cupfuls onto cookie sheet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and bake 10-12 mins. or until lightly golden brown on top. Serve with fresh whipped cream and Enjoy!!

*1/2 cup plain creamer or 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup milk can be substituted.

**Regular milk can be substituted with apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar). Or just use 3/4 cup buttermilk without vinegar.

Advent Conspiracy Cards

These are a few of the cards I have been working on for Advent Conspiracy.

These are not complete. I still need to stamp "Happy Holidays", but overall I like them.

These are a few of the greeting/ note cards I have made. The green ones say "friend", and the multi-color one says "A good friend is forever" (with birds). So far I like what I have come with and have several more ideas!! Be sure to keep these in mind when looking for a gift.

Triple "C" Cupcakes

These are Chocolate Creme Cookie Cupcakes I made for the Superbowl Party. They were delicious--the best cupcakes ever, according to Nick. Best of all, they were vegan!!

Recipe: Makes 12 cupcakes (courtesy of Vegan Cupcakes)

1 cup soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or red wine)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup AP flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup crushed chocolate creme cookie (Newman's Own is good)

Heat oven to 350* and line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Whisk soy milk and vinegar in large bowl, set aside for five minutes. Add sugar, oil, and vanilla to the soy milk. Beat until foamy. In separate bowl, sift (make sure you sift!!) flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In two batches, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Beat until no large lumps remain. Stir in crushed cookies. Fill liner 3/4 full and bake 15-18 mins. Cool completely before icing.

Icing:

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated butter (Smart Balance is good)

2 cups powdered sugar, sift if clumpy

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup soy milk

1/2 cup chocolate creme cookies

beat shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar a little at a time and beat until combined. Add vanilla and milk, beat 5-7 minutes until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup cookies. Ice cupcakes and enjoy!!

Winner, Winner, Chili Dinner

This is one of my staple recipes, and I cannot believe I haven't shared this before. I am going to make it for the Superbowl. I'll post the pictures after then. Also, if you have a meat eater in the family, this is a great alternative to traditional chili, and I can guarantee they won't even miss the beef. Lastly, the last time I cooked this, everyone devoured it--seriously, there was not a drop left in the pot (and it filled to the top to begin with)!

Winner, Winner, Chili Dinner Recipe: Serves 4

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can chili beans

1 can corn, rinsed

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 pack chili seasoning (reduced sodium)

vegetable or tomato juice, enough to cover everything

3/4 to 1 cup crushed tortilla chips

In a large pot or dutch oven, put everything in EXCEPT tortilla chips. Bring it to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer at least 30 mins, but the longer the better. About 10 mintues before serving, add tortilla chips to thicken up the chili. Enjoy!!

Just as a personal note, I like spicy chili and always use the hot chili seasoning packet. Also, I am turning the heat up a notch this time around and using a spicy vegetable juice.

Enchilada Casserole Remake

I made a healthier, vegetarian version of this before, but I think I prefer tonight's casserole way better! Also, this is a versatile recipe. I just used leftover from taco night last week and some frozen shredded pork. (I always roast a huge pork butt, about 8 lbs, and then shred it so it last longer and can be used in various recipes.)

Recipe: Serves 6-7

1 1/2 lbs shredded pork

1 can Rotel, drained very well

1 can refried beans

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup seasoned rice*

1/2 cup green chile salsa

1 cup cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Cheese Blend work best)

10 taco sized corn tortillas

1 small jar salsa

Heat oven to 350*. Mix pork, Rotel, corn, rice, and salsa. In a 13x9 dish (coat bottom with cooking spray), spread beans evenly. Cut tortillas in half and layer one stack over beans, top with half of pork mixture, and 1/2 cup cheese. Do a second layer with tortillas and the second half of pork. Top with cheese. Bake for 30-35 mins or until cheese is golden and edges of pork crisp. Serve with extra salsa (and/or sour cream, cilantro, red onion, etc.). Enjoy!!

Here's the result!!

*For a quick "spanish" rice, bring to a boil 1 cup rice, 1 tsbp butter, 1 packet of taco seasoning, and 2 cups water. Reduce heat, cover and cook 15-18 minutes. Quick and easy. Use this for tacos all the time.

Superbowl Line-Up

Here's the line-up:

The Defense: crudite (fresh veggie plate) and figs in a blanket--courtesy of Rachel Ray magazine.

The Offense: buffalo chicken bites and vegetarian chili--this chili is the best!

The Kicker: Chips and dip

The Special Teams: Oreo Cupcakes and a special surprise dessert--look for the recipe next week.

If you're doing anything for the Superbowl, let me know and share some recipes--if it's not a family secret!