Tag Archives: easy

Crockpot Garlic and Herb Chicken and Cheesy Orzo

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Quick Post: This meal was a hit at my house – even my picky daughter ate it up 🙂 Enjoy!

Crockpot  Garlic and Herb Chicken – adapted from How Sweet Eats

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • steamed broccoli
Directions –

The night before, season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, basil, parsley, garlic and 3 tablespoons of wine in a bowl. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag, then pour marinade over top and coat chicken. Keep in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, place chicken in your crockpot with 3 tablespoons of wine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once cooked, combine with remaining olive oil, parmesan and salt and pepper if desired. Cut chicken into pieces/chunks, and toss together with orzo.

Cheesy Orzo – adapted from Sprinkled with Flour

  • 2 cups orzo pasta
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup Romano cheese
  • kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Directions –

Add stock to a medium pan and bring to a boil. Add the orzo, cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender. Watch the pasta during the last few minutes, if too much liquid has evaporated, you can add a few tablespoons more of broth. When pasta is done remove the lid and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Panera Mac and Cheese

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This is so rich and creamy! The kids loved the mild flavor of the cheeses and already mentioned wanting to eat the leftovers. Hopefully my picky husband will appreciate it – he’s hard to please when it comes to new macaroni and cheese recipes. His absolute favorite is this one, and no other recipe I have tried can hold a candle to it in his opinion!

His verdict: 7 out of 10! I’ll take it – besides, he ate two bowls and happily brought some to work the next day. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Panera’s Stove Top Mac and Cheese – adapted from Annie’s Eats via Panera Bread

  • 16 oz shell pasta
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
  • 4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces
  • 8 oz extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
  • 2 tsp – 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust according to your tastes)
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp hot sauce (like Frank’s)
Directions:
1. In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.
2. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat.  When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour; cook for 1 1/2 minutes whisking constantly.  Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.
3. Remove sauce pan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more.  Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce.  Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta.  Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce.  Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through.  Serve hot in bowls with spoons.

Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer

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Quick Post: It’s not too sweet,  perfectly creamy and it has the floral, fruity flavor of real vanilla bean. It’s classic and simple but also rich and indulgent. After adding quite a bit of this to my coffee, I add a little vanilla sugar for some extra sweetness. It makes about 3 cups of creamer and lasts up to two weeks in the fridge, so it’s good to share with your friends. I gave a jar to my neighbor because it was her birthday and she loved it. Who doesn’t appreciate food gifts? 😉 Now that teacher appreciation week is coming up, this would be a new favorite for them I’m sure! Thanks for reading, enjoy 🙂

Homemade Coffee Creamer – adapted from Piece of Cake

  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
  • 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Set the pot over medium heat and slowly heat the mixture until it is hot and steaming, but not simmering. Cover the pot and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a jar or another container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Lemon Thyme Chicken

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Quick Post: I made this awhile back and forgot to post! It’s from Annie’s Eats, so if you’re a fan of hers, you know that she wont steer you wrong. This dinner is cheap, quick and flavorful and tasted great with this garlic rice pilaf – which is also one of Annie’s recipes. Pair it with a nice green salad and you’ve got a complete meal that is good enough to share with company. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Lemon Thyme Chicken – adapted from Annie’s Eats

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into halves (4 pieces total)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, minced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp. butter

Directions

  • Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl, and dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes per side, and an instant-read thermometer reads 160Ëš F in the thickest part of the chicken.  (Keep in mind that pieces of different sizes will finish cooking at different times to avoid overcooking.)  Remove the chicken pieces to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.
  • Add the garlic and thyme leaves to the pan and sauté  just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  (If necessary, add an additional small drizzle of olive oil if most of the oil was absorbed by the chicken.)  Off the heat, add the wine to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.  Return the pan to the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Stir in the chicken broth.  Reduce until the sauce has thickened, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the lemon juice to the pan.  Add in the butter and whisk until completely melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately, spooning the sauce over the chicken.

Wookies!! (Waffle Cookies)

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Ha! Get it? 😉 To be honest, I was more excited to try this waffle cookie recipe out than the waffle recipe.   These are fast, easy and tasty. My husband prefers underdone cookies (ick!) but he didn’t mind the crispness of these (I know because he had no problem eating lots). The next day they were even better, kind of caramel-y, chewy and not hard as a rock like some crispy oven-baked cookies.  The next day, I took this cookie up a notch by shamelessly adding some to vanilla ice cream with a splash of milk. It’s a lazy-girl wookie milkshake!  If you have a waffle iron try these, and if you don’t – hurry up and buy one! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies – adapted from How To Simplify
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Directions:
  1. Preheat the waffle iron to medium heat and grease the iron.
  2. Combine the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour, salt, and baking soda to the mixture.
  3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Drop batter onto the waffle iron in tablespoonfuls (I like to use an ice cream scooper).
  5. Bake for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Remove cookies from the iron using tongs and place on a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioner’s sugar (optional).

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

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Quick Post: Yet another new recipe find thanks to Pinterest! I love meals that are restaurant quality at a fraction of the cost, especially when there are no fancy ingredients required. My family loves shrimp as you can see from past posts, and this is another dinner to go in the rotation. It’s definitely not something I would make all that often, though! Butter, heavy cream and lots of cheese, plus carbs? Yes, please! I had a partial stick of butter with 5 tablespoons left and I used a combination of half and half and heavy cream. I know I probably didn’t save many calories and fat, but it was the thought that counts, right? 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo – adapted from The Candid Appetite
    • 1 pound dried or fresh Fettuccine
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 shallot, minced
    • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
    • 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    • kosher salt, to taste
    • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Fresh Basil, sliced

Directions –

Cook the fettuccine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic and pepper flakes and saute until tender. Add the shrimp, in a single layer and allow to cook on the first side for 3-4 minutes. Or until the edges turn pink. Give them a flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Once cooked transfer to a platter or plate, and allow to rest while you finish the sauce. Add heavy cream to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with some of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture, half of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan, and basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Strawberry Bread…Revisited

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I love this bread! The last time I posted about this, I destroyed the loaf while trying to take it out of my pan. I now have two 9×5 inch loaf pans from USA Pans, and I love them and I want more of them. They’re so worth the price and I never have to grease these. Another good thing about them is that they aren’t coated in Teflon, so they’re never look ugly and scratched up and since cooking spray isn’t required, they wont get that sticky, brown gunk allover either. See how evenly the crust baked up? I’m going to chalk it up to the quality of the pans, which also have a nice weight to them and are really easy to clean.

Anyway, enough of my little infomercial! 😉 This bread is a welcome treat for any occasion!  I like the cut up strawberries that freckle the loaf, and it’s moist and not too dense. It’s also perfect with coffee or tea, eaten as a treat for breakfast or a nice snack during the day…good during any time really. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Bread – My Baking Addiction

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped

Directions

1. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix.
4. Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

White Cake Mix

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My daughter’s birthday is this week! Why can’t she stop aging? 😉 I know that is impossible, but looking back at pictures makes me sad – she was so little! Now she’s a giant-almost-6-year-old. Anyway, I decided I would bring her class some cupcakes, and what’s more fun than those rainbow cupcakes that are all over Pinterest?? At first I thought I would take the easy way out and use a white cake box mix, but after reading the ingredient list I couldn’t justify it! Hydrogenated this and high fructose that…garbage! Ignorance is bliss sometimes, but now that I know better I have to choose better – even if it is for a group of kindergarteners that could care less! 😉 Of course it’s easier to throw a box cake together, but this is loads cheaper – easily pennies on the dollar for these pantry staples. I made my own superfine sugar – if you have a food processor you should if you don’t have it on hand. I put a piece of plastic wrap over the work bowl so the sugar dust didn’t fly all over the place. Once the sugar was finished and measured, I added all the other ingredients to the bowl and pulsed it a few times. That was it – couldn’t be easier! The next post will be on the super fun and festive rainbow cupcakes!! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
White Cake Mix – adapted from I Am Baker
  • 2 3/4 cup flour (343 grams)
  • 1 3/4 cups SUPER fine sugar (you can buy this or make it)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Directions – 

Sift all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container.

To Use: 

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 5 egg whites ( I used Egg Beaters, pure egg whites, about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Directions –

1. Cream butter and add egg whites one at a time until mixed. (*The batter separated terribly and never emulsified, but it still worked out once the dry ingredients were added*). Add milk, vanilla and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients in about three additions, making sure to scrape down in between and being careful not to overmix.

2. Fills two 8-inch rounds, or 16-18 cupcakes. Bake 325-350 degrees for 20-30 minutes; and cupcakes 17-22 minutes or until done.

Creamy Garlic Pasta

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Quick Post: This was so yummy! I served it along side roast chicken and roasted potatoes. My picky five-year old liked it, so that was an added bonus; and my neighbor and her one year old son really liked it too. I will make this again and again because I’m a sucker for carbs, but also because it’s so quick, easy and flavorful. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Pasta – adapted from The Cheese Pusher

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ¼  tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 3 cups chicken stock or broth
  • ½ lb angel hair pasta
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¾ cup heavy cream (*I used half and half)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Directions:

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil.

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

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This was a test run for a demonstration I needed to do for a great group of ladies. I never would have thought that I would have the guts to cook and talk in front of people before, but I did and it was so much fun. I would do it again! They all loved this super simple and quick meal and couldn’t believe how easy it was. I chose this recipe to show them because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like cheese or pasta. Plus, it’s so versatile you could use a different combination of cheeses, add any veg you’d like, make it an entrée by adding some protein or keep it as is for a side dish. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli – adapted from Pink Parsley 

  • 4 cups water, plus more as needed
  • 10-12 oz broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 Tbs unsalted butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
  • 12 oz pasta
  • 3/4 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/4 tsp hot sauce
  • 6 oz extra sharp white cheddar, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
Directions – 

Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the broccoli and a pinch of salt, cover, and cook until the broccoli is just tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain broccoli and set aside.

Wipe out the skillet and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of water, 1 cup of the milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and the pasta.  Bring to a fast simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender and the sauce has started to thicken, 9 to 12 minutes.

Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of evaporated milk, cornstarch, mustard, and hotsauce.  Stir into the skillet, and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time, until melted.  If the sauce seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of extra water.  Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, broccoli and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes to thicken before serving.