Sweet Potato and Parmesan Chips

Sweet potatoes are always welcome in our house.  We love sweet potato fries, mashed sweet potatoes, and now a new favorite sweet potato chips.  Simple to make and full of flavor.  Just watch them really carefully in the oven or they will burn.  Trust me I am speaking from experience, I stepped away for a minute and they were burnt to a crisp.

Sweet Potato and Parmesan Chips

 

~ 1 whole sweet potato, peeled

~ 1 Tbsp. olive oil

~ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

~ 1 tsp. garlic salt

~ 1 tsp. Paprika

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

~ 1/4 tsp. pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 375^o F. Peel the skin off the sweet potato and discard. Continue to peel the sweet potato so you have lots of thin strips of the sweet potato flesh. Put these strips onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure to have one layer on the baking sheet.  If you throw all of them on they will not get crispy.

2. Mix the Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Drizzle the sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle a little of the Parmesan cheese mixture over the top.  The mixture can be a bit over powering if you use to much. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are just slightly turning light brown and the strips are crisp.  Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

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Sweet Potato and Parmesan Chips

Spinach Mushroom Cannelloni

I am always a big fan of anything stuffed with cheese so when I saw this recipe on Two Peas and the Pod I was excited to give it a try.  What made it even more appealing was the spinach and mushrooms inside the cannelloni.  What a great way to add some more veggies into you meal especially with kids.  This recipe did take more time than I usually put into a weeknight dinner but it wasn’t hard and the end result was amazing.

This amazing picture was taken by Two Peas and Their Pod.  I forgot to take a picture until mine was half eaten and the end result was not nearly as pretty as this one.

 

Spinach Mushroom Cannelloni

Filling:

~ 2 Tbsp. olive oil

~ 1 small onion, chopped

~ 1 garlic clove, minced

~ 3 cups fresh spinach

~ 2 cups sliced mushrooms

~ 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

~ 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

~ 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

~ 1 large egg

~ 1 tsp. dried basil

~ 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

~ 1/4 tsp. black pepper

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

Marinara Sauce:

~ 1Tbsp. olive oil

~ 1/2 small onion, chopped

~ 2 garlic cloves, minced

~ Dash crushed red pepper

~ 1 tsp. fennel seeds

~ 3 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

~ 1 Tbsp. tomato poste

~ 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

~ Salt and Pepper to taste

Pasta:

~ 1 box No-Boil Lasagna Noodles (I used Barilla No-Boil Homemade Flat Lasagna Noodles)

Cheese Topping:

~ 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 350^o F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. To make the filling-in a large sauce pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until tender. Stir in spinach and mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are soft and spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Add egg and mix until well combined. Stir in spinach mushroom mixture and seasonings. Set aside while you make the sauce.

4. To make the sauce: in a large stock pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about five minutes. Add red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and diced tomatoes. Stir in tomato paste. Add fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on stove for about 20 minutes.

5. For the pasta: add lasagna noodles to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook for three minutes or until the noodles are al dente. Do not over cook, they will finish cooking in the oven. Carefully remove noodles from water and lay flat on a wire cooling rack.

6. To assemble the cannelloni: spread about a 1/2 cup of the sauce in the baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup spinach ricotta filling in a line along one short side of the lasagna noodle. Put 1 Tbsp. of sauce on top and then roll up to enclose filling. Carefully transfer cannelloni to pan and place seam side down. Continue stuffing and rolling remaining cannelloni. Top cannelloni with remaining sauce and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 additional minutes, until cheese is melted.

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Spinach Mushroom Cannelloni

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have always enjoyed making cookies and have many favorite cookie recipes, however I have never managed to find a Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I am in love with.  I have tried many different chocolate chip cookie recipes and they never seem to taste as good as my favorite store bought cookies.

I was checking out Two Peas and Their Pod one day and I saw their posting for Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies I couldn’t believe that I had never tried a recipe like this.  The Vanilla Pudding mix into the cookie batter seemed so obvious and yet I had never tried it.  The cookies were amazing! They had great flavor and were exactly what I was looking for.  I think my husband and I ate at least a dozen right out of the oven.  This will defiantly be a favorite in our house from now on!

Beat together the wet ingredients in a bowl.  Once they are mixed together add the pudding mix, flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until combined.  Then sir in the Chocolate chips.

Drop rounded tablespoons onto a prepared baking sheet and bake at 350^o F for 10 to 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ 1 cup butter

~ 3/4 cup brown sugar

~ 1/4 cup sugar

~ 3.4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding mix

~ 2 eggs

~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract

~ 2 1/4 cups flour

~ 1 tsp. baking soda

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

~ 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

1. Preheat oven to 350^o F.

2. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Drop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen.

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Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enchiladas Verdes

In one of our Mexican Packs from Bountiful Baskets we got Tomatillos.  My husband and I had never cooked with them and really didn’t know much about them so we went on the hunt to find a recipe to use them in.  Enchiladas Verdes is what we found and it has been a huge hit ever since.

Now for those of you that don’t know what a Tomatillo is it is similar to a tomato but has a paper-like husk around the outside of it.  When they are ripe they can be any number of colors but for most cooking you want a firm green Tomatillo. In Utah a lot of places would serve a Tomatillo salad dressing that was very similar to a ranch and I have also seen people use their Tomatillos to make salsa as well.  For us it was a Verde sauce to go with our chicken enchiladas.

This recipe is pretty simple, you just boil your chicken and Tomatillos and when they are done you shred the chicken and puree the Tomatillos.  That is the simple version but you get a great dish with lots of flavor and heat depending on how spicy you like things.

Enchiladas Verdes

~ 2 chicken breasts, boneless or bone in works

~ 2 cups chicken broth

~ 1/2 white onion

~ 2 clove garlic

~ 2 tsp. salt plus a pinch

~ 1 lb. fresh tomatillos, husks removed

~ 5 Serrano peppers

~ 12 corn tortillas

~ 1/4 cup vegetable oil

~ toppings of your choice queso fresco, onion, cilantro, sour cream

1. In a saucepan combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.

2. Place tomatillos and Serrano chilies in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull army green). Strain tomatillos and chilies, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth so that the liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.

3. Pour oil in a frying pan and allow it to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in oil setting each one on a paper towel afterwords to soak some of the oil up. Finally dip each tortilla in low-boiling green salsa until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates.

4. Fill or top each tortilla with shredded chicken and extra green sauce. Top with cheese, onion, cilantro, or sour cream.

* To make this dish hot keep the seeds in your Serrano peppers. To make this dish with less heat remove the seeds and membrane from your Serrano peppers and only add as many Serrano peppers as you wish.

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Enchiladas Verdes

What was in the baskets this week?

A great basket again this week.  We had a late truck but all the participants were excited to help us out and we got everything unloaded and sorted really fast.

In this weeks basket we got 3 zucchini, 2 mango’s, 5 apples, 1 bunch of vine ripe tomatoes, 6 yams, 1 bunch of asparagus, 1 bunch of spinach, 1 bunch of lettuce, 1 cantaloupe, 2 grapefruits, 7 bananas, and 1 bag of carrots plus a few extra.

I am planning on making a spinach mushroom cannelloni and will post the recipe later on in the week.  You might also like to make Chicken Parmesan Bundles, Lazy Baked Greek Chicken, or Mini Florentine Cups.

For the lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes check out the BBQ chicken Salad recipe for a great spring time dinner salad.

If your Barbecuing don’t forget to Barbecued Zucchini to go along with your meal or try Baked Zucchini instead of the deep fried option.

I love to make either the Oven Roasted Asparagus or the Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus with my asparagus. But the Balsamic Asparagus Chicken was a great main dish as well.

I also picked up a Mexican Pack this week and it had several different kinds of peppers, cilantro, Mexican squash, limes, onion, garlic, and green onions. I am planning on making a great chicken enchilada recipe that uses tomatillos, peppers, onion, and garlic. I will post that later in the week once I make it.

Enjoy your Bountiful Baskets this week!

Garlic Chicken

I have love garlic on almost anything.  I think it adds a lot of flavor to any dish and usually when something calls for garlic I add an extra clove or two just to make sure you can taste the garlic. Now the good thing about this is that my husband also loves garlic so we can both have garlic breath together.

Since I love garlic so much when I found this recipe I was game to try it.  It uses 6 cloves of garlic and garlic powder so it has a huge garlic taste.  It was a great chicken recipe that was fast to make once I remembered to thaw out the chicken breast so I could marinate them.  I hope you will enjoy.

You start off by taking 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and one by one place them under two pieces of plastic wrap.  Then pound them down to about 1/4 inch in thickness.  Mine we frozen from Wal-mart and were a very unusual shape so this was defiantly needed.  Then place them in a Ziploc bag along with 3 egg yolks and 6 cloves of garlic.  I have gotten so tired of chopping garlic that I have bough a big jar of garlic that has already been chopped.  Once you have it all in the bag squeeze all the air out, seal the bag and coat the chicken.  Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight if you have time.

When you are ready to start cooking your meal mix together the Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.  You could use regular bread crumbs but the Panko are a bit bigger and I think really added to the texture of the breading.  Take the chicken, one by one, out of the bag and dip in the crumb mixture.  Then place the coated chicken in a baking dish in which you have melted 6 Tbsp. of butter into.  Once all the chicken is in the dish pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.

Bake at 400^o F for 20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.

A simple and tasty chicken recipe!

 

Garlic Chicken

~ 3 egg yolks

~ 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

~ 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

~ 6 Tbsp. butter

~ 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

~ 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

~ 1 Tbsp. dried parsley

~ 1 Tbsp. garlic powder

~ 1/2 Tbsp. salt

~ 1 Tbsp. black pepper.

1. Take each chicken breast and place it in between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them down to about 1/4 inch in thickness. In a small bowl beat egg yolks with garlic.  Place the chicken breasts and egg mixture in a large Ziploc bag. Squeeze all the air out and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.

2. Preheat the oven to 400^o F. Melt butter and pour into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Dip marinated chicken in crumb mixture. Place coated chicken in baking dish and pour remaining egg mixture over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

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Garlic Chicken

Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Mushroom Sauce

This is a recipe that I adapted from The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook. This recipe is full of flavor with the Prosciutto and the mushroom sauce.  The white wine in the sauce gives it another layer of flavor.  The great thing about this recipe is once you have the technique down you can change things up by using ham and Swiss with a bit of Dijon mustard.  The possibilities or endless.

Start off by pounding the chicken breasts down to a 1/4 inch in thickness.  Then sprinkle with the sage, salt and pepper. Place one piece of Prosciutto on top of each chicken breast and top with the Fontina cheese.  Then bake at 425^o F for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is in the oven prepare the mushroom sauce in a skillet. Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and enjoy.

 

Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Mushroom Sauce

~ 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

~ 2 tsp. minced fresh sage or dried sage.

~ 4 paper – thin prosciutto slices

~ grated Fontina cheese

~ 1 Tbsp. olive oil

~ 4 oz. sliced mushrooms (shitake, cremini, or white button mushrooms work great)

~ 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

~ 2 tsp. all-purpose flour

~ 1/2 cup dry white wine

~ 1 cup chicken stock

~ 3 Tbsp. heavy cream

 

1. Preheat oven to 425^o F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. Place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using a mallet or a heavy skillet pound it forcefully until the chicken is about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the reaming chicken breasts.

3. Place the chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle 1/4 of the sage on each breast. Top each breast with 1 slice of prosciutto and some of the Fontina cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is opaque in the center.

4. Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook until it evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and cream, increase the heat to high, and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Place a chicken breast on a plate and top with the mushroom sauce and serve.

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Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Mushroom Sauce

Baked Zucchini

I have always loved deep fried zucchini.  I love to order it at restaurants or get it at the fair. Dipped in Ranch or mustard it is amazing.  I have never made it at home mainly because I know it is not the best thing in the world for you being that it is deep fried.  When I stumbled upon this recipe that baked the zucchini instead of deep frying I was in heaven. It isn’t quite the same as the deep fried version but it is still amazing and is a great option for cooking zucchini.

Baked Zucchini

~ 1-2 large zucchini, cut into circles

~ 2 eggs

~ 2 Tbsp. milk

~ 1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs or croutons blended up finely in a blender

~ 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

~ salt and pepper to taste

~ cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 425^o F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray evenly with cooking spray.

2. Combine eggs and milk in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper. Dip each zucchini piece into the egg mixture, then dip into bread crumbs until evenly coated in crumbs. Place zucchini on baking sheet.

3. Bake at 425^o F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. For an added crisp, turn on the oven to broil and cook for about 30-45 seconds longer, be careful not to burn. Remove from the oven and serve hot with ranch dressing or marinara.

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Baked Zucchini

Snickerdoodle Muffins

So I know it has been awhile since I last posted. Things have been a bit crazy around here and I have not done a ton of cooking.  I have had family in town and we headed down to Phoenix to catch a spring training game as well as some warmer weather.

But I am back home now and excited to try out a few new recipes.  This morning I decided I would make a batch of Snickerdoodle Muffins.  I love snickerdoodle cookies so having that same taste for breakfast was right up my alley. I am not sure if these fit under the breakfast category but they were amazing as a breakfast treat.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

~ 1 cup butter, softened

~ 1 cup sugar

~ 2 eggs

~ 2 tsp. Vanilla

~ 1/2 cup sour cream

~ 1/4 cup milk

~ 2 1/4 cups flour

~ 3/4 tsp. baking powder

~ 3/4 tsp. baking soda

~ 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350^o F. Prepare 2 muffin tins with liners.  (These muffins are to light a fluffy to use cooking spray instead of muffin liners.)

2. In a bowl add butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer.  Then mix in the sour cream and milk.

3. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine until you have a smooth batter.

4. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.

5. Use a large cookie scooper and plop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the sugar and cinnamon. Place the ball into the muffin liner. When you have completed all of the muffins, sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar onto the tops of all of the muffins.

6. Bake the muffins at 350^o F for about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

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Snickerdoodle Muffins

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Berries

After getting a basket of strawberries and 2 containers of blueberries I was looking for something to make with them. I found this Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake which sounded amazing and reminded me a lot like strawberry shortcake but with a little more flair.  It was simple to make and reminded me of summer.  A great way to celebrate the warmer weather.

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Berries

~ 1 1/2 cups flour

~ 2 1/1 tsp. baking powder

~ 1 tsp. salt

~ 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

~ 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

~ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

~ 3 large eggs

~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract

~ 2 lemons zested

~ mixed berries, fresh or frozen

~ whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350^o F. Grease a loaf pan with butter or non stick spray. In medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine

2. Using either an electric mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined.

3. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, place the mixed berries in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Stir well and set aside until serving time.

5. To serve, slice the pound cake and serve with a spoonful of mixed berries. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

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Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake with Berries