Tag Archives: quick

Pizza Bites

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This recipe has been on my list for a long time now. Today was a great day to try it because I had all of the ingredients sitting in the fridge – bits of mozzarella, already opened pepperoni and only one 18 ounce ball of dough (left over from calzone night). M was away golfing, so I decided to treat the kids and I to a fun dinner. How cute are these? And they’re so easy to put together. I divided my dough ball into 18 equal pieces, cut up cubes of mozzarella and cut my giant slices of pepperoni into thirds. These little bites would also make a perfect party appetizer.

Verdict: These were so yummy – the kids loved them too. The only problem is that 18 isn’t enough for the four of us, but lucky for them I wasn’t super hungry. Next time I’d double the amount, or make sure we eat a salad along with this. These will be in our rotation for sure, and I know that these would be well received at any party.

Pizza Bites – adapted from Annie’s Eats

  • 1 -18 ounce ball of dough, divided into 1 ounce pieces
  • 4 ounces mozzarella, cubed into 18 pieces
  • 6 large slices of pepperoni, cut into thirds
Topping –
  • Parmesan, Pecorino Romano
  • Pizza seasoning or oregano
  • olive oil
Directions –
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a pie dish with olive oil. For easy clean-up I use plastic wrap to cover my work surface 🙂
Flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand, place a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella cheese on top of the dough. Pull the dough around the filling and pinch closed. Place the ball seam-side down into the pie dish. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
2. Lightly brush the tops with olive oil, sprinkle with pizza seasoning and cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce if desired.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos and Tomatillo Salsa

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What do you do when you have lots of leftover roast chicken sitting in your fridge? You can make these for starters. I discovered this one over a year ago at Our Best Bites. They’re quick, easy and delicious and I don’t know why I haven’t shared these with you all before. These have some of my favorite flavors all rolled up in one package. I like to make my own tomatillo salsa for these because it’s so much more fresh and flavorful. It’s simple to make and always cheaper than store bought. I always omit the green onion cause M wouldn’t touch it, and I usually double this recipe because the leftovers are just as tasty.

Verdict: So good – or “yum” as my son put it. We enjoyed these with the leftover tomatillo salsa and our favorite tomato salsa. Oh, I used soft taco sized flour tortillas and we ended up with seven taquitos. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Tomatillo Salsa – Mom Makes

  • 8 to 10 small tomatillos, husked, rinsed and dried
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic with paper on
  • 1/2 small onion, paper off and cut into thirds
  • 1 jalapeno, stem cut and sliced in half from top to bottom
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 lime
  • cumin to taste
  • kosher salt to taste
Directions –
Turn on your broiler and while it’s heating, prepare your tomatillos, jalapeno, garlic and onion for roasting. Slice the tomatillos at the equator and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Add the rest of your prepared vegetables to the baking sheet and place under the broiler – about 5 or 6 inches from the heating element. I roasted mine for about 10 minutes, but if you prefer more char on yours you can leave them in a little longer. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Take them out and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack until they’re easier to handle. Take the paper of your garlic cloves in preparation for blending.
Using a food processor or blender, carefully place all the contents – including the juices into the work bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over all, sprinkle your cumin and salt, then add your cleaned cilantro leaves. Place the lid on and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos – adapted from Our Best Bites

  • 1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
  • 1/4 C green salsa
  • 1T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 t cumin
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  • 1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
  • 3 T chopped cilantro
  • 2 T sliced green onions
  • 2 C shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 C grated pepper jack cheese
  • small flour or corn tortillas
  • cooking spray or vegetable oil
  • kosher salt (optional)
Directions –
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and roll them up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Grilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter

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Quick Post: I was so sad when I finished this…I love grilled corn, but this made it extra special. I will make this again, and make sure that I buy extra ears for us. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter – adapted from Meatwave

  • 6 ears corn, husked
  • 1/4 pound butter at room temperature, plus 3 tablespoons
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Lime wedges for serving
Directions –

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 pound of the butter, chili powder, cayenne pepper, lime zest, and lime juice until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Lightly butter the corn with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Wrap ears individually in aluminum foil.

3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over the charcoal grate. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the foiled corn on the grill and cook until tender and slightly charred, about 20 minutes, turning 4 times during cooking. Remove from the grill and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Open the foil, slather each ear in the chili-lime butter, and serve with the lime wedges.

Hot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

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These are always really tasty! I have used this recipe more times than I can count. If you love the taste of Franks Red Hot and blue cheese you’ll love these. I bought boneless, skinless chicken breast halves and pounded them to make them cook quicker and for ease of eating. Doing this at home saved me over a dollar per pound – Publix wanted over 5 dollars for cutlets.

I took many liberties with this recipe starting with marinating the chicken – that’s a must in our house when we grill chicken. It adds so much to this meal and it couldn’t be easier. I also combine mayo with the sour cream to mellow out the sauce – it makes a lot so if you want to use the suggested celery and carrots you have plenty left over to dip. I’m sure I can talk M into getting us some buffalo wings later on this week to use the rest!;) We love all things “buffalo” and if you’re a regular visitor to this blog – that’s easy to see. Here are just some of the other buffalo style meals I have made. My two favorites by far are the buffalo chicken calzone and the buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese…so good!! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches – (heavily) adapted from Rachel Ray

  • 1.5 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast – pounded to an even thickness
  • 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of one large lime
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

Sauce for Chicken –

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot
  • Romaine lettuce leaves
  • 4 crusty rolls, split
  • 1 cups sour cream
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • 1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled

Prepare your marinade by combining the lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne in a small bowl. Place your chicken in a zip-top bag and pour the marinade over all. Mush the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours – the longer the better.

Preheat your grill to medium high heat, then cook your chicken for 5-7 minutes each side.

Heat a metal or oven safe glass bowl over low heat and melt butter in the bowl. Add hot sauce to the butter and combine. When the chicken breasts are done, remove from pan and add to the bowl and coat evenly with hot sauce mixture.

Place chicken breasts on bun bottoms and top with crisp lettuce. Combine sour cream, mayo, pepper and blue cheese and slather bun tops with blue cheese mixture. Affix bun tops on sandwiches and enjoy!


Tilapia with Cilantro-Lemon Butter

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Why did I wait so long to make this again? I tried this out about two years ago, so I knew it that we liked it but I still wanted to try something new with tilapia. Well, I’m glad I didn’t because this was so good! Tilapia was on sale today at Publix, then I thought “well, I haven’t cooked fish in a long time”, then I was on the hunt for recipes. It has a lot of my favorite flavors all combined in this super simple and tasty dish: cumin, lemon, cilantro, butter…those are all winners in my book!;) I recommend doubling the dry seasonings and make sure your butter is at room temperature so it’s easier to mix in your ingredients. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Tilapia with Cilantro-Lemon Butter – adapted from Gimme Some Oven

For the fish:

  • 1/2  tsp. salt
  • 1/2  tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4  tsp. ground red pepper
  • 4  (6-ounce) tilapia fillets (*I bought about 2 lbs)
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
Cilantro-Lemon Butter:
  • 3  tablespoons  butter, softened
  • 3  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
  • 1/2  teaspoon  paprika
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1 lemon, quartered
Directions –
To make the butter, simply combine the first five “cilantro-lime butter” ingredients together in a bowl and use a spoon to stir/mash until blended.  Store in refrigerator if not used immediately.

To prepare fish, combine first four “fish ingredients”; sprinkle over both sides of fish and then lightly coat fish with cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add fish and cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Place fish on a serving platter and top with a dollop of cilantro-lemon butter.  Serve with a lemon wedge, to be squeezed on top of the fish

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble

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Joy the Baker is a huge inspiration to the baker in me! She has so many recipes to choose from, but this is one of her more recent posts. I love pineapple and strawberries together, so this is right up my alley. I have never seen anything like this – usually crumbles are made with apples, pears, peaches or mixed berries. I was intrigued by this combo and knew that I needed to try it out.

Verdict: This was ah-mazing! Even my husband who wont eat dessert unless is chocolate covered agreed that it was tasty. That’s a winner in my book! Enjoy:)

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble – adapted from Joy the Baker

    • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut in half
    • 1 pound peeled and diced fresh pineapple
    • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 3 teaspoons cornstarch
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • pinch of salt
    • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
    • 1 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
    • 1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions –
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toss diced fruit together in an 8-inch square baking dish. In a small dish, whisk together 3 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 cup of flour and pinch of salt. Toss the mixture with the diced fruit. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the cold butter cubes. Use your fingers to break up the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture. Add the oats and toss together until the butter bits are about the size of the oat flakes.
4. Pour the oat mixture over the prepared fruit. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until juices from the fruit bubble up around the sides of the pan.
5. Remove the crumble from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Crumble is delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream.
6. Crumble can we wrapped and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or wrapped in foil in a low oven.

Hot Fudge Sauce

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Quick Post: The husband requested hot fudge…I obliged:) We used it to top off the already decadent fudge brownie/vanilla ice cream goodness. Make this at your own risk! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Hot Fudge Sauce – adapted from Christina Marsigliese

  • 1/3 cup whipping cream
  • 2 TBSP light corn syrup
  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions –

1. In a 2 quart, heavy bottomed sauce pan combine all ingredients – minus the chocolate, over medium low heat. Bring it to a simmer and stir in chocolate until completely melted and smooth. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly until a thick syrup like consistency, about 3-5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and pour into a glass jar or bowl and let cool for about 1 minute. Serve immediately or cool completely, stirring every so often. Seal the lid on the jar or store in an air tight container and keep refrigerated for up to 2 to 3 weeks. Rewarm over a double boiler or place jar in a pot with hot water coming a few inches up the sides of the jar until warmed through, adding a few teaspoons of water to thin it out as needed.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup…(yes, I am a bit of a food snob)

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Why make this when you can just buy it, you ask? I’ll tell you why – after reading the ingredient list does it sound appetizing? Nope – so why not give your family the very best and make it at home? It’s quick, easy and cheap!

I’m using this for a crock pot meal that only has three ingredients and one of them is pork chops. I thought why not up the flavor and make sure I’m not giving my family something with way too much salt and chemicals. That thought inspired me to make the other two ingredients at home. This ranch mix smells fresh and this condensed soup tastes great and I can’t wait to try the end result. I used fresh onion and garlic for this which requires a little more cooking, but it will equal lots of fresh flavor. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Yield: 3 cups (about 2 cans)

Ingredients – adapted from Tammy’s Recipes
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder**
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder***
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
  • 1/4 teaspoon parsley
  • dash of paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup flour
Instructions:

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Additional Notes:

*I use the broth from my oven-roasted chicken. Refrigerate broth and then take fat off the top. If you’re using chicken bouillon + water for your broth, you may want to add a little extra seasonings, such as lemon pepper, extra garlic, or seasoned salt, since my broth normally has bits of those in it. You can also add bits of chicken, but if you have good rich chicken broth, you probably won’t need any chicken in it.

**Or, diced onions (boil with broth for a few minutes)

***Or, fresh minced garlic (boil with broth for a few minutes)

Homemade Chili Mac

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I love having a well stocked pantry! All I needed to pick up from the grocery store today for this meal was the ground beef. This is the kind of meal I like to make when I don’t want to put too much effort or thought into dinner – sorry, family! I don’t think they’ll mind;) They’re concern isn’t how much time a meal took but it does have to taste good, of course.

This recipe delivers smoky, slightly sweet flavor with a hint of spice. I didn’t add quite the full amount of green chiles for Little S – she’s so picky as it is, I didn’t want her to feel justified in not liking this meal. It’s so good and she’s still moping at the table picking at her food. M on the other hand loved it and had two helpings!  God has a sense of humor is all I can say – they’re so different:)  Either way, I’m going to have to make this again soon. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chili Mac Ingredients – adapted from The Cooking Photographer

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ¼ pounds lean ground beef
  • Salt and pepper to season beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped mild green chiles
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions –

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add ground beef and diced onion. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Once the meat is no longer pink, strain off the grease in a colander and place the meat mixture back in the pan.

2. Add chili powder, cumin, onion powder, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, minced garlic and brown sugar and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, can of green chiles, elbow macaroni, and 2 cups water. Stir to combine, cover and keep at a high simmer for about 14 minutes or until juices are absorbed and macaroni is tender.

4. Stir in pepper jack, vintage cheddar, and cilantro and season with freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt and add if needed. Garnish with sour cream and parsley if desired.