Home » In the Kitchen

Category Archives: In the Kitchen

Overnight Oats

Posted on by | Leave a comment

There is a lot of talk going on about overnight oats , so I had to see what it was all about ! I have been making oatmeal in the mornings but I figured these over night oats would be perfect to take out of the fridge on a Monday morning – that way I could get a few extra minutes of shut eye! So that’s what I did …

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup of your choice of milk ( almond, soy, skim, etc.)

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1/2 cup of yogurt ( Greek or regular, flavored or plain )

Pinch of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

At night , mix all the above ingredients together and store in an airtight container

Wake up, get dressed, grab your oats and ENJOY !

20130304-195120.jpg

My Thoughts

I used skim milk and peach yogurt ! It is what I had in the fridge !

The flavor was good!

It seemed like there was too much liquid but I am assuming that’s how it was supposed to be ! I probably will make it with less milk next time !

YES, there will be a next time !

This morning it was freeeee–ee-zing , so I warmed them up just a tad!

Hope everyone’s Monday was great !

Recipe adapted from Lauren Conrad

Spicing things up a bit

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I don’t know about you but I love mac n cheese. Who doesn’t? My grandmother once made don and I homemade mac n cheese and we could never go back to the box stuff. Seriously ! I make it homemade every time. !!!!

As usual, I was watching the food network and sunny anderson was making mac n cheese but spicey mac n cheese. We were both drooling and I could already feel the kick on my tongue it looked and sounded so good. The very next day I was in the kitchen making this very same dish.

mac

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 Cups elbow pasta – Cooked untl ALMOST al dente ( about 6-7 minutes)

8 ounces of Cheddar cheese – ½ Cubed, ½ Shredded

8 ounces of Colby Jack Cheese – Cubed  (I doubled up on cheddar and skipped the jack)

8 ounces of Monterey Pepper Jack Cheese – Cubed

2 tsp flour

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne

½ teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

4 Tbsp of sour cream

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half n half ( I doubled up on the heavy cream, using regular milk will suffice also)

1/4 cup grated onions

4 slices of bread

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

As always, begin by preheating oven 350 degrees!

In large bowl, mix cooked pasta with cheese cubes and pour into baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard, and nutmeg. Add in sour cream, egg, heavy cream, half n half, and onions mixing well. Pour mixture over pasta and cover with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until top begins to brown.

While the pasta is baking, cube bread slices. In a small pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add in the bread cubes and toast until golden brown. Sprinkle croutons on top of the pasta and bake for an additional 10 minutes .

My thoughts…

It was good, however there are a few things I would change in the prepping process! I would heat the milk on stove adding in the dry ingredients until it comes to a boil. Then mixing in the different cheese until melted. Once the cheese is fully melted I would mix in the pasta , pour into a baking dish then bake it for 30-35 min. Why? I felt like there was alot of bites with no cheese! I did use an entire box of elbows instead of 2 cups so I am sure that is why , but I find doing it this method with normal mac n cheese get everything nice and coated!

I was proud of my homemade croutons. They were delicious :) I forsure thought they would be soak up all the butter and become soggy but with patience they turned out great !

ENJOY !

Photo Credit : Life’s Ambrosia

Shaking things up a bit

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Oh where oh where have I been !? The past two weeks have been busy busy … And I have hardly got any rest ! I finally went to bed early last night and woke up looking at the alarm Clock and it was only 11:45PM ! I think I literally smiled and went back to sleep to pack in as much sleep as I could !

My household has been on a health kick ( somewhat ) since the new year and our fridge is packed with veggies and fruits ! We have limited ourselves to bad snacks on the weekends ! I have been trying to think of new ways to keep the healthy food not so boring … And one of the ways is to make a smoothie for breakfast !

This mornings smoothie :

BLUEBERRY BANANA OATMEAL SMOOTHIE !

20130227-192452.jpg

1-2 cups of blueberries ( I used fresh but frozen will work )

1 large banana

3 heaping tbsp of old fashion oats ( uncooked )

1/2 cup milk ( skim, almond, soy … What ever you want )

1/4 cup of ice

Blend until smooth!

20130227-192533.jpg

    My thoughts

      It was yummy .. A little thick , foamy-like from the banana! A little more milk next time!

      Almonds would be nice to pack in some more protein !

      Other than that – its a make again !

      HAPPY HUMPDAY

‘Neiman Marcus’ Brownies

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I cant tell you why these are called Neiman Marcus brownies, but.. What I can tell you is that they are super sweet, delicious, gooey and semi-homemade. I am not a huge fan of semi-homemade because I don’t feel like its my creation but it sure does make it simple to make.

INGREDIENTS

For the first layer….OH YES ITS LAYERED

I package of german chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1 stick melted butter

mix the above ingredients together and press into a greased 9×13 pan.

For the second layer…The delicious sweet gooey part!!!

1 lb. box of confectionery sugar

2 eggs

1 8oz package of cream cheese, Softened

1 tsp of vanilla

mix the above ingredients together and spread on top of brownie mixture. Bake for 55 minutes at 300 degress. Let dish chill / sit for 1-2 hours to set.

photo2

photo

My pictures aren’t the greatest but you get the point of they layers …

My Thoughts . . .

I received this recipe from my future mother in law , of course we have had It before. It was definitely being made in our house

I made this for Super bowl Sunday to take to the neighbors house. Everyone liked it. I came home with little less than half.

We drizzled homemade caramel on top every now and then. My figure doesn’t appreciate any of this but my mouth sure does.

I made a mistake and did the ole tooth pick test since it was my first time make it. Apparently I missed the part where it said let it set for 1-2 hours.

Simple. Easy. and Delicious.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Posted on by | 1 Comment

Sweet. Salty. Delicious.

Birthdays are a great reason to bake and I always use these times to try new things. The GREAT thing about this is, my neighbors know that I love to bake so I use them as my ‘guinea pigs’ so instead of buying gifts for birthdays, I send a sweet treat their way. . . BUT I want the criticism in return.

This birthday I made Salted Caramel Cupcakes.  YUMMY ! The best thing about these cupcakes is that they are semi-home made :)

cupcake1

Cupcake Ingredients

1 box of yellow golden butter cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup of butter – melted

1 cup of caramel machiatto creamer

Icing Ingredients

1 8oz box of cream cheese – softened

1/2 cup of butter – softened

1 cup of caramel

7-8 cups of sifted powdered sugar

Additions:

Caramel

Sea Salt – course

Chopped Walnuts

Directions for cupcakes:

–Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

–In a large bowl, using a mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, butter and creamer for 1 minute. Scrap the side of bowls and continue to mix on medium for 1 minute.

– Scoop even amounts of batter into lined muffin tin and bake 18-20 minutes.

–Let cupcakes cool on baking rack.

Directions for Icing:

–Place the softened butter in bowl and blend softly. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth.

–Add caramel until fully incorporated.

–Slowly add in the powdered sugar until thickened. Turn mixer on medium and beat for 1-2 minutes until icing becomes fluffy.

–Pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes, drizzle caramel, sprinkle a little salt and add chopped walnuts.

cupcakes1

My Thoughts

I used homemade caramel ( Will post recipe another time), but store bought will be just as delicious !

My cupcakes baked for 19 minutes exact and were perfect.

I didn’t have the patience to sift all 7 cups of sugar.

I added the chopped walnuts. They work !

Definitely on the ‘make again’  list !

My Feedback

Iphone

Bake Away !!!

Homemade Scalloped Potatos

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Once again, trying to introduce any kind of NEW food into my household is like pulling teeth. I will have to give it to Don because he has been very open lately :) I have tried time after time to buy the boxed scalloped potatoes by Betty Crocker and I never got any where. One day, I decided to tackle home made scalloped potatoes. THEY. WERE. DELICIOUS.

Homemade Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 TBS of all-purpose flower

2 TBS of butter

1/2 TSP of salt

1/4 TSP of black or white pepper

1 1/2 cups of milk ( I use skim)

1 8oz. block of cheddar cheese

2 Large potatoes

Directions:

Wash and peel potatoes. Use mandolin to slice potatoes. This insures proper and even thickness so the potatoes will cook evenly. Use a knife if you wish!

Melt butter in medium size pot. Once butter is fully melted, stir in flour, salt and pepper until mixture is smooth ( this is called a roux ). Using a whisk, stir in milk until well incorporated. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes to thicken. Add in cheese until melted.

Layer the potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish domino style, reserving enough potatoes to create one more layer. ( I used a 9×9 glass dish)

20130121-204535.jpg

Over the first potato layer pour the cheese mixture until well covered. Add the second layer of potato and pour remaining cheese.

20130121-204625.jpg

Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.

MY THOUGHTS

It was a great and VERY easy dish.

They were very tasty. If you taste the cheese mixture prior to baking it will seem a little salty. The saltiness dissipates after baking.

I have made it THREE ( maybe four ) times since I found the recipe.

I tried adding a link to my blog for the recipe but the recipe / website has been removed or not working.

Mississippi Sin

Posted on by | 1 Comment

No I did not spend the weekend in Mississippi having a hole bunch of fun :) and YES I totally sang the spelling song while typing Mississippi (M – I – Crooked letter- Crooked Letter – I ..).

We are headed over to someones house for dinner and while in the grocery store I decided to take an appetizer… Oh boy – perfect opportunity to make something new.. Or is it??? Thank the Lord for pinterest. I grabbed my phone and immediately went through my food board to find an easy, few ingredient appetizer, that of course don would eat. I came across one I pinned when I first started using pinterest called Mississippi Sin ( yes, I sang the song again! ) .

Mississippi Sin

  • 16oz sour cream
  • 8oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup chopped ham
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Loaf of bread to make a bowl

Image

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Cut middle out of bread to make a bread bowl. Save cut out for later. Mix all the above ingredients into a large bowl. Add mixed contents to bread bowl. Cut most of extra bread off of middle portion and put the top back over the mixed contents. Wrap bread bowl ( with the dip) in foil. Bake for 1 hour.

Serve with fritos, pita chips, diced bread or something of your liking.

My thoughts:

Its still in the oven so i can not give you much on taste, however, I did taste pre baking and it was good. I added a little more hot sauce and worcestershire to the mix.

I am a little concerned about baking the loaf of bread for ONE hour. I figured it would come out burnt ???? I did a tiny bit of reading online and other bloggers who made this recipe did not comment of the bread burning. I will let you know.

I DID NOT use ham… Don wont eat ham. So i substituted the ham for bacon. I also used more than 1/2 cup….actually used a hole pack of bacon :0) I trimmed all the fat off the bacon before rough chopping and adding into the mixture.

Several people added jalapenos from a jar, sausage crumbles ( instead of ham), and chilies. I am sure these additions or substitutes are great but I am pretty sure Don would not eat it.

UPDATE: the bread came out perfect and hard .. Exactly what you would need for a bread bowl. I was concerned about it burning ! The dip was a hit and I will definitely be making it again soon!

Head over to pinterest to pin the recipe or click here for the recipe I used !

Enjoy & Happy Sunday !

Feta Pesto Stuffed Chicken

Posted on by | 2 Comments

This recipe has a few great qualities to it….

It has FIVE ingredients or less.

It has an estimated 260 calories.

It has my FAVORITE cheese , Feta.

It was very easy to make!!!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
2 tbsp prepared pesto sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp olive oil – omitted
3 tbsp fresh basil, rough chop

photo(11)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, combine feta, pesto and black pepper.
2. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken. Do not cut all the way through. Repeat for all chicken breasts.
3. Add 2 tbsp of the stuffing into the pocket of each breast. Secure pockets with toothpicks and sprinkle a little more black pepper to taste.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breast and cook until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes per side.       

4. I did not cook mine on the stove. I baked mine in the oven for 22.00 minutes at 400 degrees.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
5. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into them. Sprinkle with basil.

photo(10)

The picture is not  flattering, however I was trying to get a photo of the ‘stuffing’ before it oozed out.

MY THOUGHTS

It needs some other flavoring on the outside. Maybe a light marinade? I used some s&p, garlic powder and onion powder… didn’t do much but it wasn’t bad

Cooking it in the oven was a good choice 1) because it stayed nice and juicy 2) didn’t have to deal with the calories from the EVOO.

Would definitely cook again!

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers

Cranberry Oatmeal Walnut Muffins

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I have had a stash of oatmeal in the cupboard for sometime now. I have been trying to think of many ways to get rid of it without wasting it. A friend of mine gave me a great and healthy apple and walnut oatmeal recipe ( which i will share) but if your like me, I need a change … I can’t eat the same thing every day. I get bored and then I find myself splurging on high calorie fast-food breakfast. I found a recipe to make cranberry oatmeal walnut muffins. Conveniently I had all the ingredients in the house so I made them :0)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled-oats
  • 5 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray 12 standard muffin pan cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

2. Combine the oats and the milk in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture just to a boil, remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Set aside to cool.

3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.

4. Add the eggs to the cooled oat mixture, stirring until blended. Add the oat mixture to the flour mixture, and stir just until blended. Stir in the cranberries and nuts. Do not over mix.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Set pan on a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and set on rack to cool.

Muffin

MY THOUGHTS

Any kind of berries would work. I almost used blueberries but my taste buds were definitely calling the fruity zing from the cranberry.

The muffin was not bland line a bran muffin, you can definitely taste the oatmeal and the cranberries but still has a ‘healthy’ taste to it.

Changes for my next batch: Less walnuts, More Cranberries, Maybe add cinnamon OR orange zest.

ENJOY ! I would love to know YOUR opinion if you make them…

Recipe adapted from here

New Year, New Toys

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I finally got it. It’s been along wait but it was worth it. The ultimate big kid toy. It is a must have for every cook and baker ( even a novice like me )! It was a little intimidating at first but I jumped right in a took the reigns ! I will say in the year of 2013 and on, there will be a lot of mixing going on !!! Many recipes to be shared !!

I love kitchen aid !

20130102-204317.jpg