Lemon-Pistachio Chicken

I really enjoy productive days off. Today I checked a few things off my list, as well as a few others that I wasn't expecting. Good thing I did everything early and now I can relax for the rest of the day. Pretty sure I'm going to cut this post short so I can go have a beer and wait for dinner to cook itself in the crock pot (to be posted soon).
:)

This recipe is great as a light lemony dinner. If you love lemon, and I mean LOVE, then you will enjoy this. It's very "airy" and summery. When it starts getting warm outside I promise to make this again, because this is definitely for one of those nights where it still above 90 and you just want to cool off. Yum!

Hominy & Jalapeno Chicken Soup

When it's below 10 outside you know it's time for some soup. Especially if you plan on staying inside to watch the 2014 Winter Olympics. Every night we just turned on whatever event is playing. The event we like the most is curling. Unfortunately it seems to be the only event that plays in the middle of the night where we live. As long as we wake up at 3 am we can watch it. Probably won't happen as much as we want. :) 

This is a fantastic flavorful Mexican style soup. It's great because you can really dial the spice up or down, depending on how you like it. The original recipe called for the peppers to be seeded, but I know in this household we want to be breathing fire! So I decided to leave in the seeds, as well as adding a little more chili powder. For us it still wasn't as spicy as we like, so my husband ended up adding a little hot sauce to his third helping. Pretty sure after his third bowl I knew this dish got a double thumbs up. Along with being tasteful, this recipe was also very easy. It requires time, but most of that time doesn't require any action. So if you want a simple but exotic dish, here you go! 

Barbecue Turkey Sloppy Joes

This has been one crazy week. So much going on with work and home. Especially when we were sitting with a high in the single digits for a couple days in a row. Not much fun let me tell you. When you step outside and your face instantly stings...nope. No thank you. Good thing there is such a thing as comfort food. 

If you want sloppy, cozy, finger licking, saucy deliciousness then makes this. Sloppy joes are a staple in any household I believe. I remember eating sloppy joes when I was a kid and getting that filling all over my hands. Aw, the time when it was socially acceptable to be messy. Now we are adults and have to actually clean ourselves. Oops, off topic. Anyways. I love barbecue sauce on pretty much anything. With this recipe you could get any flavor barbecue sauce every time you make it and it would be like a brand new recipe. I only had original in my pantry this time, but I usually go for the sweet and spicy kind. After working around the warm cozy sandwich you still have all that fell out on to your plate. It's like seconds. :)

Gooey Butter Cake with Dried Blueberries

Oh man did it feel good to get back into blogging. Knowing that I was going to share this recipe felt good, and made me try so much harder while making it. Of course I always have to remind everyone that I am not a professional and I make mistakes. This cake was supposed to be a little more under cooked than in the pictures. I mentioned before that we just moved into a house. This house was built in the 80's so some of the appliances are a little older. We are still trying to get used to the stove. It gets so much hotter than any other stove I have used! I have burned more things in the month we have lived here than in the last few years I have started cooking. 

All I ask is be patient with me as I get used to these new appliances and actually remember to take pictures. I almost forgot to take pictures of the dinner I made tonight. :)

Where have I been?!

Wow, I pretty much just dropped off the face of the earth with this blog. So much has happened in the last 6 months that I have had almost no time to post. I have still been cooking but I never got around to taking pictures. Who knew that having a full time job with a husband and fur-baby at home would take up so much time!

One thing that I am proud of is that we finally got out of an apartment and moved into a house. It is so nice having more room. Plus not having to hear voices, music, and TVs through the walls. The most is a few dog barks and I can live with that. Leia (our adorable boxer mix pup) loves the space as well. It took her a while to get used to the new house; but after a weekend of accidents and horrid smells she understood that this is her house and she can run around as much as she wants. We have only been here a couple weeks and there is already a path etched in the dirt where she has sprinted in circles in the backyard. I can also say I feel a lot better knowing she isn't stuck in a small apartment without daily exercise.

Along with more space for Leia, I have more space in the kitchen. This is my first place in ages that has an island. Cooking the few dinners that we have has been so easy; plus more fun! My husband can come in to help without the two of us bumping into each other because of the lack of counter space. I have a feeling that with more space I can get back to posting new recipes.

So I am announcing here and now that I will start capturing meals with my camera and posting them. I still have so much to learn with cooking and love sharing them with the world. I may start off a little slow, but I know that once I get back into I will remember how much fun I had. Here I go!! :)

Manicotti w/ Meat Sauce

Man, this has been one hot summer. Living in the midwest, compared to the Pacific Northwest, has been a definite change for us. We were used to summers that get up to only 70 maybe 80 degrees. Now we are close to 100 degrees. Thankfully we have AC. :)

I have been making Manicotti since I was a teenager. My mom has been making it since I can remember. This was one of the first dishes I made for my husband when we started dating, so you can say I know Manicotti. There hasn't been one recipe that I have stuck with though. I like to mix it up. This was the first time I have made this with a meat sauce, and really liked it. One thing I love about Manicotti is that you can do whatever you want to the filling or sauce. The picture of ingredients doesn't show the Italian Seasoning, because I decided to add that in later. You could really put anything you like in the filling. I love a versatile dish!

To make it easier on yourself, and not make a huge mess, put the filling in  large zip lock bag (or a pastry bag if you are fancy and have one). Snip off the corner and twist the top to apply pressure.

Look how easy that is to fill those delicious shells! No mess and really quick!

Manicotti
adapted from Cooking for Less Pasta

Ingredients:
1 container (15oz) light ricotta cheese
2 cups (8oz) shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
1 package (8oz) uncooked manicotti shells
1 lb ground lean turkey
1 jar (26oz) pasta sauce (any kind/flavor you like)
2 cups water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella, cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan, and garlic in large bowl; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Fill manicotti shells with cheese mixture; place in 13x9 inch baking dish. 
3. Brown turkey in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat. Season with salt and pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Drain fat. Stir in pasta sauce and water (mixture will be very thin). ** Pour sauce over filled manicotti shells.
4. Cover with foil and place dish on a baking sheet, incase of any overflow. Bake for 1 hour at 375º or until the sauce is thickened and shells are tender. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. 

**At this point, before pouring sauce over manicotti shells, I seasoned the meat sauce with some red pepper flakes and more Italian seasoning. You can skip that or put in any other spices you like.

Serves 6.

Nutrition: Calories 497; Fat 21g; Protein 40g; Carbs 41g; Cholesterol 159mg; Fiber 4g

Oven Fish n' Chips

My goodness has it been hot this summer. Well, hot for me. This is the first summer I have spent out of the PNW in about 15 years. Even though I may be melting, I still want to spend all day in the hot kitchen cooking up delicious food. Since it is so hot, a light and easy meal is the best way to go. This dish would definitely fit that bill. It was fast and really good. Of course you could do anything you like for the "chips". I found a great recipe for actual baked sweet potato chips that I will definitely be trying.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Oven Fish N' Chips
adapted from tasteofhome Guilt Free Cooking

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 medium baking potatoes (1 pound) {could use sweet potatoes}

Fish:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs (could also use crushed cornflakes)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound frozen haddock fillets, thawed (could use cod, I used tilapia because that is all I could find.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425º.
2. In a large bowl, combine oil and pepper. Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/2in strips. Add to oil mixture; toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Back at 425º for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, combine flour and pepper in a shallow dish. In a second dish, beat egg substitute and water. In a third dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese and cayenne pepper. Dredge fish in flour, then dip in egg mixture and roll in bread crumbs.
4. Place on a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Brake at 425º for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 
5. Serve with potatoes chips, and tartar if desired. 

Serves 4

Nutrition: Calories 243; Fat 2g;  Carbs 28g; Cholesterol 67mg; Protein 27g; Fiber 0mg