Garlic Chicken Quinoa

Have you ever had Quinoa? It is a super healthy grain/seed. It is very high in protein, a good source of magnesium, folate and phosphorus.

The best part is that my kids like it! Sure Little Em picks out all the bell peppers, but she likes the quinoa, which is fine with me.

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare it.

Doesn't it just look delicious?

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

2 Cups Chicken broth

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut up to bite sized pieces)

1/2 Cup of chopped red onion

1 red bell pepper (seeded and diced)

1 green bell pepper (seeded and diced)

5 garlic gloves (minced)

Basil (about 6 large leaves Julienned)

Olive Oil

Gratted parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare Quinoa to package instructions (instead of water use the chicken broth)

Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add oil. Add the chicken and saute for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Add onions, bell peppers, and saute for one or two minute. Add garlic and saute until pepper become slightly limp but still bright. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the quinoa and stir in.

Then toss in the basil. Garnish with parmesan cheese when serving.

Do you have any favorite quinoa recipes? If so, leave a link in the comments, I would love to take a look :)

Thanks for visiting

Pulled Chicken Sliders

I am not a big fan of slow cookers. Just because everything that usually comes out of it looks overcooked and not so pretty. (I just like to eat my vegetables vibrant and colorful)

However, I tried two different slow cooker meat recipes recently and have become a believer.

One day I just wanted a chicken sandwich, I found this pulled chicken sliders recipe here and decided to give it a go since I had all of the ingredients on hand.

(I had to substitute tomato sauce for paste)

I am sure glad I did, this recipe is a keeper and I will be using for those days when I don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

Pulled Chicken Slider Sandwiches

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp prepared mustard
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 12 slider sized rolls

1. 1. Place 3 chicken breasts in the base of the slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce plus 1 can worth of water, the cider vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Add a little salt and pepper is you wish. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic to the sauce.
3. Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Set slow cooker to high and cook for 4-6 hours.
4. When chicken is finished in the slow cooker, scoop it out into a bowl and using 2 forks, “pull it” apart.
5. Scoop some sauce from the slow cooker and add until reaches your desired ‘sauciness.’
6. Serve on slider sized rolls

I served the sliders with some roasted potato wedges and a tossed salad!

If you have any must try slow cooker recipe, please leave a link to it in the comments :)

Zucchini Boats

Oh my goodness! If you love zucchini, cheese and basil, you have to try this!

I saw it here and had to make some.

I am speechless, these are amazing.

I didn't have all the ingredients as the original recipe called for, so I kind of winged it my way, and it turned out amazingly!

6 small zucchinis (will make 12 boats)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded parmessan cheese

2 cloves of minced garlic

olive oil

salt/pepper

Mini tomatoes (sliced)

Basil (chopped)

Preheat your oven to 350

wash and slice your zucchini in half

scoop out the center where the seeds are

brush the surface with a mixture of : olive oil, garlic, salt/pepper

bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes

remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheeses and layer the tomatoes on

broil on high for 5 minutes

sprinkle with chopped basil when done.

Then enjoy..

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

This is a new favorite in our house. I originally tried Grilled Teriyaki thighs at our friends house, they were delish. So I went on pinterest the next day and found this recipe for a home made teriyaki sauce.

This week, we have made this twice already, that how much we love it!

To make this delish chicken, you need chicken thighs and this home made teriyaki sauce:

Teriyaki Sauce

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. cold water

1 c. white sugar

1 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper.

While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat

Use half of the sauce to marinate your chicken thighs (atleast a few hours) and put the other half aside (you will use it to baste the thighs)

When you are ready to start grilling, preheat your grill

Spray your grill with oil spray

Turn your grill on low heat and place your thighs on the grill

Close the lid and grill the thighs (about 8 minutes on each side)

When you flip the thighs they should have grill marks and be golden, if they are not, leave them on the same side for a few more minutes.

After grilling the chicken on both sides, I basted the thighs with the other half of the teriyaki sauce and grilled them for about 2 minutes.

That's it, Serve with some white rice and veggies :)

We usually have left over rice and chicken, so the next day I make stir fried rice with the leftover. It is so good, I love fried rice!

Garlic-Ranch Chicken Pizza

This pizza is sooooo good!!

Made with home made ranch, leftover chicken, turkey bacon and lots of cheese! Yum!

I found the recipe on favfamilyrecipes.com and altered it a bit

1 large pizza dough, uncooked (fresh, frozen, or whatever you like best)

3/4 c. home made ranch dressing (see recipe bellow)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 c. turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 Cup of chicken (cooked and cut into strips)

2 tomatoes, sliced

*Ranch Dressing: 1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

Whisk ranch mix and mayo together, slowly add buttermilk. When well blended, cover and refrigerate

Mix ranch dressing and crushed garlic together then spread evenly on the pizza dough.

Sprinkle a little cheese over the ranch dressing then add chicken and bacon. Sprinkle more of the cheese over that, add the tomatoes, then add the remaining cheese. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes (or until crust is a nice golden-brown). Top with parsley

Serve with a tossed salad for a yummy dinner!

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

I love love love cinnamon sugar donut holes. I found this recipe on The Novice Chef, and it's a keeper. So when my hubby asks me if there is anything for breakfast, I can say sure, let me just whip up some fresh donuts for you :)

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup milk

Cinnamon and sugar

Oil

directions:

Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the egg, sugar, butter, and milk in a large-sized bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine thoroughly. The batter will be sticky, so either use a spoon or a pastry bag to extrude the dough for frying.

Pour two inches of oil into a heavy medium saucepan. When the oil is hot, extrude a ball of dough approximately an inch in diameter into the oil. Fry the donuts until they are golden brown, then remove them and place them on a paper towel. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will brown before they are cooked through, so it is a good idea to sample a couple as you go along and adjust the heat accordingly. While the donuts are still hot, drop them into a bowl with half a cup of sugar and a few sprinklings of cinnamon. Move the donuts around until they are well-coated.

Soft Frosted Cookies

These cookies are big, soft and delicious.

I found the recipe on Tide and Thyme

Makes 24 cookies:

For the cookies

4½ cups all purpose flour

4½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:

5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)

Food coloring (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.) Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.) Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Then Enjoy!!

German Chocolate Cupcakes

I made some cupcakes and let me tell you something, they are Gooooooood!

My husband actually asked me what bakery I got these from (and he doesn't like cupcakes)

I found the recipe on Your Cup of Cake, there are a few things I did differently

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

3 eggs

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

German Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cup chopped pecans

1 ½ cup flaked coconut

Chocolate Buttercream:

4 ounces cream cheese

½ cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk or cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.

2. In a electric stand mixer, gently combine oil, eggs and vanilla extract.

3. Add in about 1/3 of the cake mix and mix until combined.

4. Add Buttermilk and mix until combined.

5. Add another third of the cake mix.

6. Add sour cream, then final third of cake mix.

7. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

8. German Chocolate Frosting: On medium heat in a sauce pan, constantly stir evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter until thickened. (Basically, until it boils and it will take approximately 10 minutes.) Stir in vanilla extract, pecans and coconut. Then transfer to a large bowl and stick in the fridge to cool.

9. Chocolate Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes. Add cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Let beat for 3 minutes. add milk. If it is too thin, add powdered sugar. Or if it is not dark enough, add more cocoa.

10. Pipe Chocolate Buttercream around the edge of the cupcakes to create a barrier, and scoop a small amount of cooled German Chocolate Frosting into the center.

And then you can enjoy...

4 Cheese Ravioli

After a day of Christmas and Birthday shopping I rushed home and whipped up dinner

It was quick, easy and delicious.

I made a quick salad and heated up some bread and we had a quick meal in minutes!

It all started with this:

Boil salted water

In a small sauce pan heat a TB of olive oil and saute 2 gloves of minced garlic

After I sauteed the garlic for a minute or so, I poured the alfredo sauce and heated it up

I added a cup of shredded parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of milk, salt and pepper

I let the sauce simmer on low mixing it often while prepping the rest

Once the water boiled, I threw in the ravioli

Then I heated a small skillet with olive oil and sauteed a diced bell pepper

Once the ravioli was done cooking

I drained the water

Then I put the ravioli onto the platter, spooned sauce on them

Topped with my sauteed bell peppers and some chopped basil

Yummy!

Vanilla Cupcakes

This is my go to recipe for delicious vanilla cupcakes, I have tried lots of recipes and this one beat them all. The cupcakes smell delicious, they taste scrumptious!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of cake flour

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups Sugar

1 TB Baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened

4 large eggs

1 cup of 2% milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated do not over beat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

4. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost with this frosting:

Vanilla butter cream

1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks) Softened

6-8 cups of confectioners sugar

1/2 cup of milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy (2-3 minutes)

add 6 cups of confectioners, milk and vanilla and beat on low until light and fluffy.

If necessary add remaining 2 cups of the confectioners sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

Cream Puffs

As you can probably see from my blog, I am not a cake person. Don't get me wrong, I love cakes. But the only time I actually bake cakes are for special occasions, and lets just say they stress me out.

So, when I need a quick and delicious dessert, I usually make small things like cupcakes, bars or in this case these cream puffs!

Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs

Directions

Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball.

Transfer the dough to a stand mixer.

Using a stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.

When the shells are cool, split and fill them with the pudding mixture and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy !

Creamy sun dried tomato pasta

You know I LOVE pasta. Especially pasta with creamy sauce, and sun dried tomatoes!

Mmmmmm....

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cup heavy cream
• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces dry fettuccini pasta

Directions

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and the chicken broth; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the chicken into small pieces. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute chicken. Then as soon as the chicken is golden, pour the cream mixture from your saucepan into the skillet, on top of the chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and transfer into the skillet with the creamy sauce.

And you are all done. ENJOY!

Grilled Turkey Patties

Ever since I have tried grilled turkey patties at my cousin's house, they have became a staple in our house. And why wouldn't they? They are really quick to make and are so so good!

So lets get started

You need:

1 lb of ground turkey

1/2 cup of finely chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

1 egg

1/4 cup of plain bread crumbs

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

Combine all your ingredients together in one bowl

Mix everything together

Preheat your grill

Make your patties:

Turn your grill on medium heat

Make sure you use a grill oil spray to prevent your patties from sticking

Put your patties on the grill and close the grill

Grill for 8 minutes

After 8 minutes, turn them over and close the grill again

Grill the other side for about 7 minutes

Then you are done

Told you it was easy!

Serve up with some orzo & veggies and you have yourself a nice healthy dinner

Quick and Easy Orzo

This is my recipe for a quick and simple Orzo side which I absolutely love.

You need:

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 bell pepper seeded and chopped

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves minced

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

Directions:

Boil water and cook orzo as the directions say

While the orzo is cooking, heat about 3 TB of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet

Saute chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic just until they are all sweated out and then remove from heat until the orzo is cooked

Once the orzo is cooked drain it and then dump it all into your skillet with the onions and bell peppers.

Mix together

Then add parsley, salt and pepper to your taste and give it all a good mix:

That's it!

Wasn't that quick and easy?!

Enjoy!

The orzo goes very well with my grilled turkey patties :)