Before The Mister and I got married, a few of my co-workers at my previous job joined together and gave us a wedding shower. Afterward, my friend/co-worker Christy gave me a cookbook that she made herself (!!!) that contained recipes and marriage advice from many of our co-workers.
One of my favorite (and the most-used) recipes from that cookbook came from Ms. Helen, a lady that I grew very close to during my three years at that job.
I've taken this to church dinners, parties, and other places and it's always a hit - and it comes together in a flash, too!
The original recipe calls for cans of corn, jalapeños, and red peppers, but GO TEAM KROGER because they have little cans of corn with the peppers already mixed in!
This really doesn't need any seasoning, but if you want an extra kick, try adding some lime and cayenne pepper. I think you'll be pleased!
Ms. Helen's Famous Corn Dip
What you'll need:
2 cans of Mexican/Baja corn with jalapeños and red peppers (or 4 small cans)
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
10 oz. grated cheddar cheese
Fritos, for serving
What you'll do:
Drain corn and pour into a large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill until serving time, then serve alongside Fritos.
I love simple, easy-to-put-together meals. THIS recipe is one of those!
I love using portobella mushrooms as an entree, they're filling, but not overly heavy like bread or pasta - and they're just downright delicious.
If you thaw and/or cook your chicken ahead of time, this will literally come together in just a few minutes. The longest part is baking them, but even then they are done in about 10 minutes.
One shortcut I've found is this - and it may sound ridiculous, but it's what I do! When I need shredded chicken, I cook it throughly and then put it in the blender for a few rounds. By doing this, I usually have finely shredded chicken in about three seconds. Try it! It's worth it.
My super-key ingredient for this recipe is this:
I first used this when I made chicken marsala awhile back, and it ups the flavor like nobody's business when it comes to cooking with mushrooms. I had to try it in this dish and, even with just a third of a cup, it BLEW MY MIND.
((Note: I was a little afraid to cook with even cooking wine for a long time, then I learned the alcohol cooks out, much to my relief. If you're not comfortable with this, then chicken broth will work fine!))
My pictures of this are terrible quality, but don't let that deter you from trying your hand at this dish. I think you'll be pleased!
1/3 cup marsala cooking wine or low-sodium chicken broth
2-3 tbsp half & half
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash of crushed red pepper
dash of salt and pepper
Italian breadcrumbs
What you'll do:
In a large skillet, melt butter and cream cheese. Stir frequently to mix. When each are about halfway melted, add marsala wine (or chicken broth), garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red peppers. Stir and continue to cook.
Meanwhile, rinse and clean your mushrooms by using a spoon to scoop out the insides. Remove the stems and chop into small pieces, then add to the sauce mixture as it cooks. If sauce mixture looks "soupy," add half & half. This will make the sauce very creamy, so add a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
Place mushrooms in a baking dish or sheet, then fill with sauce mixture. Top with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and bake for 10 minutes at 350. After 10 minutes, turn on the broiler for about 2 minutes, just enough to let the breadcrumbs start to darken and crisp.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
As I type this, the skies are about to open up for a downpour that will supposedly last most of the night, bringing with it the inevitable cold snap that the weatherpeople have been expecting all week.
However, for the past week or so, we've been blessed with some INCREDIBLE springtime weather -- our temps have been in the 70s all week with sunshine every day. It's been a much-needed change in atmosphere.
All of this Springy weather has me craving summertime and beach food, and I've got the perfect recipe to kick off the season.
I made this as kind of a quick, thrown-together meal before church earlier this week, and I'm ridiculously pumped because it TASTES LIKE SUMMER.
This recipe originally came from Creme de la Crumb - but we ended up putting our strips on tacos...because TACOS mean SUMMER and did I mention WE ARE READY FOR IT?
So ready. Sooo so ready.
Also, we kind of (literally) shoved these in our mouths as we were walking out of the door for church, so I have zero pictures. Blogger fail #647.
Fix these with some warm tortillas and topped with sweet and sour sauce and you will be SET. We didn't even need cheese! Seriously, the flavor in these babies are LEGIT.
Summer, come on.
Coconut Chicken Tacos Serves 2
What you'll need:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp Tony's
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Dash of pepper
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
2 cups (1 small bag) coconut flakes
Corn or flour tortillas
What you'll do:
In a small bowl, combine the flour and seasonings. Set aside.
In separate bowl, combine eggs and water, then whisk until just mixed. Set aside.
In another bowl or plate, pour out coconut flakes. Having these "stations" will make prepping so much easier.
Slice chicken breasts into 1/2-inch strips. One at a time, dip in flour mixture, then egg mixture, then roll in coconut. Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or foil, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray).
Bake chicken strips 10-15 or until done in the center. Warm some tortillas and build your taco, topping with sweet and sour sauce.
Let's get down to business.* Sometimes you just need a cupcake.
And if you're anything like me, sometimes you just have to bake. Most of the time, when I really want to unwind I have to do one of two things: A) Bake B) Take a nap.
Life is GREAT if I get to do both.
I don't know what it is, but baking is really relaxing for me. I'm not that great at it - and I'd love to get better - but I just love it. Just taking time to not have to think about anything in the world except for mixing, stirring, piping, etc., is very calming. I'm in my "zone" when I'm in the kitchen.
A day or two after Christmas, I was feeling a little homesick and sad that the holidays were basically over. Our apartment was clean (for once), and I wasn't quite ready to take down the Christmas tree, but I just had to DO something.
So I baked.
And you know what? It felt GOOD. It felt happy.
I'd recently stumbled on this recipe from Jessica at "How Sweet It Is" that made only two cupcakes, which was perfect considering we were still coming off of all of the holiday meals and snacks :)
But the trick was making the icing. I wanted to bust out the decorating kit and skills from my class back in August, but WITHOUT having to make icing that would cover an entire cake.
What you'll need:
4 tbsp butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp of milk (or more, if you prefer a thinner texture)
sprinkles -> A MUST
What to do:
Cream butter with an electric mixture until smooth and creamy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and slowly continue to mix. Increase speed slightly and add vanilla, keeping everything in the center with a spatula (with such a small amount, it will spread very thin, very quickly). If the mixture gets a little too thick, add milk a little at a time until satisfied. Frost onto cupcakes once they are cooled.
And it's (unfortunately) not for cookies, cakes, candy, pies, or any of those other things that I *really* would prefer to make right now!!!! :) :) :)
'Tis the season, am I right???
Once upon a time, for months upon MONTHS on end, I ate a salad EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for lunch. It was my go-to meal, my routine, and, really, one of my favorite things to eat.
This was my usual for about a year straight, if not longer. Lately, though, I'm just not feeling it. It's pretty typical around this time of year for me to just want something warm and filling in my stomach, as opposed to a light (and colorful!) salad.
...not to mention that my tastebuds have somehow turned on me recently, so spinach and various types of lettuce now taste absolutely horrible!!!
A few weeks ago I started making a small batch of The Pioneer Woman's chicken salad to get me through a couple of days when we didn't have leftovers. Then the next time I made a little more to last most of the week, and I'll probably make it again over the next few days.
I'm hooked on this stuff, people.
While this recipe isn't the healthiest, it's a little lighter than most versions I've had. I like to eat small portion of it with Wheat Thins or Triscuits. A little bit is very filling - so I can make a big batch at once and eat on it throughout the week.
And just FYI -- the lemon juice and brown sugar in this give it THE BEST flavor. EVER. Just trust me on this ;)
I don't always have absolutely everything on hand when I go to make this, so I just improvise. Instead of grapes, I've used apples or cranberries - or all three. I rarely have celery and have never bought rosemary or dill (as in the original), but I'm 100% positive it would taste AH-MAZING if you followed PW's recipe exactly.
So here you go! May all your chicken salad dreams come true!
Cook chicken thoroughly and chop into small cubes when done. Chop the apple into small cubes, and slice the grapes in half, then combine in a bowl with the chicken. Squeeze about a tablespoon of lemon juice over the mixture (this keeps the apple from turning brown so quickly) and give it a quick stir.
In separate, smaller bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, and remaining lemon juice and stir until evenly mixed. You may decide to add more to reach desired sweetness or consistency (sometimes I will add a teaspoon more mayo). Season with salt, pepper, and Tony's to taste, then pour mixture over chicken and fruit.
Stir until evenly combined and enjoy with crackers, salad, or on a wrap or sandwich.
