Chicken Orzo Soup and Steel Cut Oats

I woke up this morning with an irritating twinge in my throat. Feeling under the weather all day, I whipped up a couple of healthy and soothing dishes. For breakfast: steel cut oats with brown sugar and for dinner: chicken orzo soup.

Steel Cut Oats
3 cups of water
1 cup of steel cut oats
1/4 tsp. salt
Sprinkle of brown sugar or any other desirable topping

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add the salt, then add the steel cut oats. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes (creamier oats). Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Spoon the oats into a bowl and mix in the brown sugar.

 Chicken Orzo Soup
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking.net
Adapted by: Me

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cube of chicken bouillon
6 fresh basil leaves cut in a chiffonnade
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cooked chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks (I season mine with salt and pepper then cook in a little bit of olive oil 5-6 minutes per side)
4 ounces of orzo pasta

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and stir for 1-2  minutes. Then, add the carrots, celery, and garlic stirring for about 1 minutes. Add the chicken stock, diced chicken, bay leaf, dried basil, fresh basil, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour. Bring the soup back up to a boil and cook the orzo according to the instructions (usually about 9 minutes for al dente). Taste, then re-season if necessary. I served this soup with cheese rolls.

Cheese Rolls
Rhodes Bake and Serve Dinner Rolls
2 tbsp. melted butter
Mild Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Thaw rhodes rolls according to instructions. Once the appropriate time as elapsed, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and spread over each roll with a brush. Sprinkle the desired amount of cheese on each roll - I like half cheddar, half Parmesan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. Cool on cooling rack for about 2 minutes.

Perfect Turkey Sandwich

The first time I had this bad boy I immediately claimed that this was the 'best sandwich I had ever had!' And to be honest, it really is fantastic!

1 hoagie roll cut in half
3 slices of medium sliced peppered turkey
2 or 3 slices of monterrey jack cheese (to cover one side of the hoagie roll)
2 tbsp mayo
1/2 to 1 tbsp of whole grain garlic mustard (or plain whole grain mustard will be fine)
Spinach
Pickle

Mix together the mayo and whole grain garlic mustard, adding more of each depending on your preferred taste. Spread each side of the hoagie roll with this mayo/mustard mixture.

On one side of the roll, place the cheese slices and on the other side, place the turkey. Place the rolls cheese/meat side up on a baking pan and turn your broiler on high.

Broil the sandwiches until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the bread gets a little crispy on top.

Top the sandwich with spinach and pickle.

THE END!

So easy, so delicious, and such a perfect lunch!

Meatloaf

Some of you may cringe when you hear the word meatloaf, but it has always been one of my favorite dishes. It's so homey, filling, and a total comfort food. Adding bacon makes it even more appealing to your significant other and kids :] I halved the original recipe and added a little more seasoning. If your not a fan of other meatloaf recipes, give this one a try!

Retrieved from: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Adapted by: Me :]

1/2 cup of milk
3 bread slices (I used Oatnut)
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt (I used Lawry's)
2 teaspoons of dried parsley
2 eggs beaten
5 strips of thin bacon slices

Spicy Tomato Sauce Topping
1 and 1/4 cups of ketchup
3 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
10-12 dashes of hot sauce (I used Tapatio. If you're not a spicy food fan, just add a couple of dashes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the milk over the bread and let it soak up for about 2 minutes.

Combine the ground beef, milk soaked bread,Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, parsley, and beaten eggs. Mix the ingredients until well combined.

The original recipes has you form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan with the bottom pan lined with foil. I used one of my new loaf pans :]

Lay the bacon slices over the top, tucking the sides underneath the meatloaf. Set aside.

Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and hot sauce in a bowl.

Pour 1/3 of the spicy tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf and bake for 45 minutes. Then pour another 1/3 of the spicy tomato gravy over the top and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve with the remaining spicy tomato gravy as a dipping sauce. ENJOY!

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

I found this recipe in The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook and made it as a side dish on Easter. The flavors are reminiscent of sweet potatoes or yams (without the marshmallow topping, of course). Enjoy!

Retrieved from: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Adapted by: Me!

1 stick of butter
2 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup of whiskey (I used Crown Royal - Shawn's favorite)
3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet over high heat and add half of the carrots. Stir them around to brown them, about 1-2 minutes. Remove them to a plate and repeat with the remaining carrots.

In the empty skillet, add the whiskey (watch out for the flame - to avoid, take off of the heat and pour the whiskey in, then return to the burner). Let the whiskey bubble and cook for 3 minutes until slightly reduced.

Reduce the heat to medium low and add the other half stick of butter. Stir around until it is completely melted. Stir in the brown sugar and then add the carrots.

Reduce the heat to low and place a lid over the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the carrots are soft yet not mushy. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper to offset the sweetness of the brown sugar.

PW served her carrots with thyme sprinkled on top, but I'm not a fan so I left that part out :]

'Cheesecake' and Fruit Fondue!

This is such a quick and simple 'dessert'! Since it is paried with fruit, I didn't feel like I was cheating too much by having an after dinner snack :] TRY IT!

1/4 cup of low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp non fat sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberries, sliced
Apple, sliced
Kiwi, peeled & sliced

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl, mixing them with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving with the sliced fruit. ENJOY!!

Southwestern Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

After a long break to relax and enjoy the holidays and all of the changes going on in my life, I'm back to sharing some of my favorite recipes. Please take notice that going forward I'm going to try and make all of our meals as healthy as possible, someone has to fit in a wedding dress :] Last night I knew I wanted chicken but couldn't decide on an actual dish to cook. After a quick search on one of my favorite food blogs, I came across these tasty little buggers. VERY easy and uses a bunch of fresh vegetables, making it a pretty healthy and extremely delicious quick little dish. We ate these as our dinner but you could definitely have them be an appetizer. Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com
Adapted by: Me :]

4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed (we used 6 mushrooms)
4tsp olive oil (1tsp of olive oil per mushroom, so using 6 tsps for 6 mushrooms)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
2 cups of roasted chicken, chopped (rotisserie chicken was perfect for this)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Orange bell pepper, roasted and chopped *
Poblano pepper, roasted and chopped *
3/4 cup of frozen sweet corn, thawed
1/2 cup of baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced (I omitted the tomatoes since I'm not a fan of them raw)
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp green onions, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of sour cream (I use the Darigold Mexican Style sour cream. It's AMAZING)
1/2 lime, juiced
Extra sharp cheddar

*To roast the peppers: Clean the poblano pepper and bell pepper then carefully slit them in half removing the seeds and stem. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then place the peppers on top skin side up. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven and broil them until the peppers are blackened on all sides. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 minutes. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skin VERY CAREFULLY. Chop the peppers up. (I left the skin on and they were just fine :])


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil (for easier clean up).

Remove the stem from the mushrooms then drizzle a teaspoon of oil over each one. Season them to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place into the oven and cook for 7 minutes.

Combine the chicken, cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, roasted bell pepper, roasted poblano pepper, corn, spinach, tomato, minced garlic, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, and lime juice. Mix well until evenly coated. Taste then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Carefully remove the mushrooms from the oven. Try not to spill the juice that has collected in the center of the mushroom. Spoon the chicken mixture into each mushroom cap (on top of any liquid that has collected in the mushroom). Sprinkle the top of each mushroom with a bit of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese.


Place into the 375 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
 
I used the For the Love of Cooking's picture, look how good they look!!! Like I mentioned above, I made 6 stuffed mushrooms and still had about half of the stuffing mixture left. Don't waste the goodness! Turn then into quesadillas!
 

Cajun Chicken Pasta - Delicious!

One of my favorite food bloggers, thepioneerwoman.com, had a couple of episodes on the Food Network. How awesome is that?! Totally my dream, ha :] Her cajun chicken pasta was on one of the last shows, and let me tell you, it's fantastic! One of my closest friends, Stefanie, came over last night and we whipped up a batch. I hope you like it as much as we did!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Retrieved from: thepioneerwoman.com
Adapted by: Stefanie and Me!


3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes. (we used 5 thinly pounded chicken breasts)
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste 
1 pound Fettuccine 
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 
2 Tablespoons Butter 
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced 
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced 
½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced (we used the whole red onion, let's not be wasters!)
3 cloves Garlic, Minced 
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced (we omitted the tomatoes, not a huge fan of them raw, yuck)
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth 
½ cups White Wine 
1 cup Heavy Cream 
Cayenne Pepper To Taste (probably about 1/4 to 1/2 of a teaspoon depending on how much kick you like)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste 
Salt To Taste 
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste (also not a fan of fresh parsley so we didn't garnish with it)


Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute (we probably cooked our veggies for about 3-5 minutes so they weren't as firm, up to you!), stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.