Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders, Maple Carrots, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

I have most of this week off from work, so I'll be cooking quite a bit!  Tonight I tried three new recipes and all came out great!  This first recipe came from Martha Stewart.  Everyone loved them, but Jared said that these were the best thing he'd ever tasted!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders

• 2 pkgs. raw chicken tenders
• 1 pkg. bacon
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Cut each strip of bacon in half.  Wrap each chicken tender in a half strip of bacon.
2. Put a splash of olive oil in your skillet and place as many of the tenders in the skillet as possible.  Let them cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the bacon looks done and crispy.  Flip and allow the other side to cook.
3. Remove and place on a wire cooling rack over a cookie sheet to drain the grease.
4. Serve.
5. This next recipe was one that no one anticipated liking.  I was given quite a bit of grief for even thinking of making these carrots, but after tasting them, they were eating their words!

Maple Carrots

• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 2 T butter
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/2 t salt

Directions:

1. Spread baby carrots across bottom of a skillet.  Put just enough water in the skillet to cover the carrots.  Bring the water to a boil and then allow them to simmer until the carrots are tender and the water has evaporated.
2. Mix in the butter, brown sugar, pepper, and salt.
3. Serve.
4. The last recipe was also one that no one wanted me to make.  I will admit that none of us at my house are cake people, but I love making cakes and cupcakes.  There is something so fun about the precision of baking along with the creativity that goes into decorating cupcakes.  These were absolutely fantastic!  

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes
Cupcake Batter:

• 1 French Vanilla cake mix
• 1/2 c melted butter
• 3 t vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c water
• 1 T cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Put cupcake batter into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.  Bake 20 minutes.
2. Allow to cool while making the frosting.

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 c. butter
• 1 3/4 c. Cinnamon Toast Crunch crumbs
• 5 t. vanilla
• 1 t. Wilson butter flavoring
• 4 c. confectioners sugar
• 2 T. sweetened condensed milk
• 4 T. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1. Mix ingredients together to desired consistency.  Frost cupcakes.
2. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over the cupcakes and garnish with a piece of Cinnamon Toast Crunch  Cereal.

Mexican Lasagna

I haven't posted lately because I started a new job last week and have been getting used to that.  But I'm back!  Thursday I made Mexican Lasagna.  I got this recipe from Taste of Home, and tweaked it to fit our family.

Mexican Lasagna

• 1 lb. ground beef (we use venison)
• 16 oz. refried beans
• 4 oz. chopped green chiles
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 2 T mild salsa
• 4 c. shredded mexican cheese
• 12 oz. uncooked lasagna noodles
• 16 oz. medium salsa
• 2 c. water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In a large skillet, cook beef or venison over medium heat until brown. (Drain if using ground beef) Stir in beans, chiles, taco seasoning and mild salsa.
3. In the 9x13 pan, layer 1/3 of the noodles, then 1/3 of the meat mixture, then 1 c. of cheese.  Repeat twice.
4. Combine medium salsa and water and pour evenly over the top.  Cover with foil and bake for one hour.
5. Top with the remaining cheese.  You can garnish individual portions with sour cream, onions, tomatoes, black olives, and/or hot sauce.

Note: If using whole wheat noodles, increase the water.  It is also best to let this cool for 10 minutes or so before cutting.

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

Quinoa.  Ever heard of it?  I hadn't until I read this recipe.  It turns out that it's pronounced keen-wa, and it's a super healthy grain!  We decided that we are now quinoa fans!  See if you are too by trying this recipe!

Heart Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb butternut squash.
• 4 c chicken stock
• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 t mince garlic (4 cloves)
• 1 1/2 t Italian seasoning
• 14 oz. canned petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 c uncooked quinoa
• 1 t ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Peel the squash and chop into .5 inch chunks.  Steam about 10 minutes until just tender.  Set aside half of the squash.
2. Steam the rest of the squash for 6 more minutes.  It should be tender enough to mash.  Do so with a fork.
3. In another pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer.  Cut the breasts into strips and add to the broth.  cover and allow to cook (covered) for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the stock and set both aside.  Simmer the onion on medium heat in the olive oil.  Do so for about ten minutes, until the onion begins to turn brown.
5. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir constantly for one minute.
6. Add the above mixture to the chicken stock, along with the tomatoes, the mashed squash, and the squash pieces.  Combine well.  Add the quinoa and allow to simmer (covered) for about 15 minutes or so.
7. While the mixture is cooking, shred the chicken.  When the mixture is done cooking, add the chicken and ground black pepper.  Stir, allow to cook for 5 more minutes, and serve!

**If you have never steamed squash before, I did it by putting the squash in an inch of water in a pot, covering, and cooking on medium high.

Enjoy and let me know how it turns out!

You win some, you lose some

For the past week, the youngest member of our household has been begging me to make Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake Brownies.  I finally got the ingredients and made them this morning.  They taste good, but I would not call them Red Velvet Swirl.  I put in 6 drops of red food coloring, and ended up with brownies that were so slightly tinted red, you would never guess they were supposed to be red velvet.  The swirling also did not turn out very well.  Below is my modified recipe for the next time I make these:

As you can see, not very red and swirly.

Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:

• 10 T butter
• 3 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 2 lg. eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• Red food coloring
• 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 t unsweetened cocoa powder

Cheesecake Layer Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 lg. egg
• 2 t vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 (325 if using glass).  Spray 8x8 pan and also parchment paper cut to the size of the pan.  Leave extra paper on two sides for easy removal of the brownies.
2. In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, sugar and red food coloring.  ADD FOOD COLORING UNTIL THE BATTER IS DEFINITELY RED!
4. In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa, and salt.  Mix with the rest of the batter.
5. Pour batter into pan.
6. Beat the cheesecake layer ingredients until smooth in a separate bowl and poor over brownie batter.  Add a couple of drops of food coloring and swirl with a fork or a sharp knife.
7. Bake for an hour (check around 50 minutes though).  Remove from the pan using the parchment paper and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.

If you try this recipe, please let me know how they turn out!

Crockpot Enchiladas

Wednesday evenings are always hectic in our household.  Everyone gets home at different times, we have Wednesday night church, homework, etc.  As a result, dinner ends up being pizza, leftovers, or something from the crockpot.  On this particular Wednesday, I decided to try making Crockpot Enchiladas.

Crock Pot Enchiladas

Serves 6

1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, chopped 
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) Ranch Style beans, drained
1 can (10 ounces) rotel tomatoes mild, drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded colby jack cheese
8 flour tortillas

1 can (15 ounces) red enchilada sauce

-Cook beef over medium heat until done; drain. 

-Meanwhile saute onion and bell pepper in oil until tender. Add onion and pepper to beef. 

-Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, salt, cumin, pepper and garlic powder. In a slow cooker place two tortillas side by side, overlapping if necessary. 

-Layer with a fourth of the beef mixture and a fourth of the cheese. Repeat layers three more times. Pour enchilada sauce over all. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until heated through.

These were super easy and tasted great!  I did modify the recipe a bit to better suit our family.  I swapped the beef out for venison.  I also discovered that 15 oz. cans of enchilada sauce are extremely difficult to find, so I ended up using 20 oz. instead.  This is definitely going to become a new family favorite, and is a great meal for nights when you're pressed for time!

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Tonight I made Garlic Cheddar Biscuits to go with some soup for dinner.  These turned out wonderfully!

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Makes 10-15 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix (like Bisquick)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Method:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

-In a large bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese and garlic powder. Add in milk, and stir until well mixed. (Heads up – the dough will get very sticky!)

-With a spoon or with your fingers, shape the dough into biscuit-sized clumps, and drop onto the baking sheet. (Note that the dough will pretty much hold its shape when baked, so feel free to pat down random peaks in the dough if you’d like them to look more uniform!)

-Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until biscuits begin to brown slightly around the edges.

-While the biscuits bake, prepare the warm butter mixture by mixing together the melted butter, Italian seasoning and garlic salt in a small bowl. As soon as the biscuits are removed from the oven, brush the biscuits (while they are still on the baking sheet) with the mixture until they are well-coated.

-Serve warm.

If you want a delicious, quick, and easy biscuit recipe, this is it!

Minty Fresh Start

Upon finishing college last month, I found that I had a lot of something I had never had before: free time.  I spent the past three and a half years in school full time and also working.  For the first time in my adult life, I have nothing to do.  I'm at a point in my search for a job where I'm mainly doing a lot of waiting, so to fill my free time, I've been cooking and baking up a storm!  I plan to use this as a space where friends, family, and other avid cooks can come to find new recipes and share their own cooking and baking experiences.  Well, here I go!

This weekend, I have been cooking with peppermint and pumpkin (although not in the same dish).  On Friday night, I made White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes.  I won't be posting that recipe today because I need to modify it, as it was originally a recipe for a three layer cake.  I spent my Saturday getting a haircut, at a bridal show, and going to church, so I did not have time to cook anything then.  However, when I went into Starbucks that morning for coffee, I experienced what is always one of the biggest post-holiday let downs: the disappearance of the holiday specialty coffees.  But this time, I had a plan.

Sunday morning, I made Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  These were super easy and delicious! 

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Serves: 8 

Total Time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes

{Ingredients}

-8 T of pumpkin puree

-8 T of vanilla

-2 t of cinnamon

-8 cinnamon sticks

-4 cups of strongly brewed coffee

-6 cups of milk

-8 T of sugar

-whipping cream [optional]

{Instructions}

-Combine the milk and coffee, and pour into the crockpot. Whip together the other ingredients [minus the cinnamon sticks and whipping cream] and pour into the crockpot. Mix together well.

-Cover the crockpot, and cook on high for 2 hours.

-Serve in mugs. Generously put whipping cream on top of the lattes, and add a cinnamon stick for extra flavor.

We didn't use cinnamon sticks in the mugs, instead I sprinkled cinnamon on the whipped cream to give it that Starbucks look.  Our verdict on this recipe: better than Starbucks.

I also made soft pretzels using one of the Auntie Anne's pretzel kits.  Although I'm usually less inclined to make things from mixes, my brothers specially requested that I make these.  If you've ever considered trying one of these kits, I would definitely recommend them.  That evening, my fiance and I went out to dinner and then saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Today (Monday) was the first day when everyone in my family was officially back to work and school, which meant that not only was I on my own for the day, but I needed to find something to occupy my time.  I chose to do so by making Mint Oreo Truffles.  I've made several other truffle recipes in the past, and my family absolutely loves them!  These were yet another hit!

Mint Oreo Truffles

Ingredients

§  1 package mint oreo cookies

§  1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)

§  12 oz. white chocolate

§  2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)

§  1 teaspoon peppermint extract

§  green food colouring

Directions

1.    Finely crush 5 cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. Reserve for later.

2.    Crush remaining cookies and stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.

3.    Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

4.    Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the surface of the water. Remove from heat, and stir in peppermint extract. Add green food colouring until desired shade of green is reached. If your brand of white chocolate melts a little thicker, you can use vegetable oil to thin it.  

5.    Dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. Sprinkle the tops with the 5 crushed cookies for decoration.

6.    Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!

Above is the original recipe, which was fantastic!  However, when making truffles, I've found that it is usually better to melt more chocolate for the shell than the recipe says, otherwise you may run out and not be able to cover all of your truffles.  I only had 6 or 7 that I couldn't cover, so I would probably use 16 oz of white chocolate next time.  I used white chocolate chips, which worked very well.

I guess this is the end of my first post.  I feel like I should say something profound to end it, but I think I'll just say how excited I am to finally document my cooking escapades!