Tomato & Mozzarella Chicken Wraps

Sometimes I'm inspired by pictures that I see, then I create my own recipe with my own ingredients much like this one!

To Start you will need the following:

 4 Chicken Breasts cut thin
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 fresh tomato
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Basil, Rosemary and Thyme
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Once ingredients are gathered, set over to 350F

 

Once the chicken is cut thin, add Basil and Thyme and chunky chopped garlic.  Layer thin slices on tomato on top of that. Then a a cube of mozzarella cheese.

 

Roll checken up carefully including all ingredients. 

 

Once complete, they will look similar to this. Or possibly better. I'm not a food artist. 

 

Add Rosemary on top and 2 Tablespoons of balsamic Vinaigrette on top. They are ready to go into a glass dish and placed in the over for 35 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. 

Once they are done, they will look like this and taste even better!

Baby Broccoli Pancakes

Baby Broccoli Pancakes

My first 4 attempts at making broccoli for my son was a total fail! And why would he like it? It's green, it looks like a tree and it smells a little funny. So my solution? Combine it with one of his favorite foods; pancakes!

Take 1/4 cup steamed pureed broccoli
Mix with 1/2 egg and 1/3 cup flour (or wheat flour of you have it!)
Stir all contents well
Cook on a cast iron skillet (or other skillet of choice) until firm
Give to baby!

As baby gets older you can add spices and garlic powder as well as other pureed vegetables. 

There you have it! A simple, healthy recipe for baby and children. I made mine into heart shapes!

Ooey Gooey Monkey Bread

 Lately I've been making breakfast on Saturday morning for my two favorite boys, although the baby doesn't have what we're having ;)

Here's a favorite breakfast recipe that I wanted to share because it's easy and delicious.

Here's what you need!

1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can buttermilk biscuits (I use grands)
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
1/2 cup butter
Cooking Spray
Large Baggie
Fluted Pan

Heat your over to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease your pan (the fluted tube pan is what I prefer). Spray your pan with cooking spray.

Cut the biscuits up in little chunks by using a knife or cooking shears. 

 Add the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a large baggie. Add the biscuits to the mix and shake it up until everything is completely coated. Pack mixture into your pan.

Take the butter and brown sugar and add them together in a small sauce pan over low heat until it's caramelized. Watch the it doesn't burn. 

Pour mixture into pan over biscuits and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Tip: Add tins foil to the edged to prevent crispy edges. 

 Bake for 22 minutes or until the middle isn't raw anymore. Let cool in pan for ten minutes and serve

Buffalo Chicken Dip

It's Superbowl Sunday and it's not quite the same without my Buffalo Chicken Dip. I have been making and perfecting this dip for years and I'm finally going to share my recipe. This is always a party request favorite because it's so creamy, spicy and delicious.

Ok, So here's what you need:

1 Pound fresh boneless chicken breasts
1 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or similar blend)
12 Ounces Cream Cheese (1.5 packages)
1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce (That's right, I said 1/2 cup!)
1/4 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing (Today I'm using ranch)

So first, we're going to cook the chicken and shred it and the easiest way to do that is by boiling. So combine about 6 cups of water and your chicken breasts and boil until fully cooked.

While the chicken is cooking you can add all other ingredients into a bowl or crock pot. A small sauce crock pot works the best but you can combine in a bowl if you don't have one handy. If using the bowl method, microwave ingredients together in 30 second increments and stir until completely creamy.

So, in my case, I'm going to add my 12 ounces of cream cheese, 1 cup of shredded cheddar blend, 1/2 cup of Frank's hot sauce, and 1/4 cup of ranch dressing into my crock pot and turn the dial on low. I'm going to stir the mixture in the crock pot every 1/2 hour.

Once the chicken is cooked, I'm going to shred it on a cutting board using two forks. I like my chicken a little chunky, so I'm not going to shred it super fine. Once the chicken is shredded, add to the crock pot mixture. Continue to check on the dip and stir as needed until everything is completely blended and creamy.

Then the finished product should look a little chunky and have a light orange hue to it like this.

So why is this particular dip so special? The additional cream cheese makes is extra creamy, the fresh chicken adds full flavor, and the amount of hot sauce gives it that perfect kick. So, there you have it!

Avocado Salad (Chunky Guacamole)

Avocados were on sale this week and they were nice and ripe so what better recipe to start with than my Avocado salad!

You can tell the ripeness by the feel of the avocado. It should be firm enough that you can't squish it easily with your hand, yet soft enough that you can make some indentation if you squeeze the fruit.

This salad is great for a party or as a side dish to tacos or quesadillas.  Serves 4.

Needed Ingerdients:
2 ripe Avocados
3-4 cloves of garlic (Or garlic powder)
1/8th cup fresh cilantro
1/2 lime (or lime juice)
1/4 tablespoon Kosher Salt

 

Finely chop the cilantro, garlic, and avocado. I prefer a chunky consistency but if you want a true guacamole, just run the ingredients through a food processor.  

Mix cilantro, garlic and avocado in a bowl.

Now take 1/4 lime and give it a squeeze. Just one good squeeze will do. Don't empty the entire 1/4 lime into the salad.

 

Add salt & mix together. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or with any Mexican dish. I prefer mine with blue corn chips.

Avocado Salad/Chunky Guacamole recipe re-cap

Needed Ingerdients:
2 ripe Avocados
3-4 cloves of garlic (Or garlic powder)
1/8th cup fresh cilantro
1/2 lime (or lime juice)
1/4 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1. Finely chop the cilantro, garlic, and avocado. I prefer a chunky consistency but if you want a true guacamole, just run the ingredients through a food processor.  

2. Mix cilantro, garlic and avocado in a bowl.

3. Now take 1/4 lime and give it a squeeze. Just one good squeeze will do. Don't empty the entire 1/4 lime into the salad.

4. Add salt & mix together & serve. Makes 4 Servings. 

I have a food blog!

I've been wanting to start a food blog for quite some time so that I can document my favorite recipes and share them with other food lovers. I'm not a professional, I'm just an average Mom who loves to cook and bake.

I love to experiment with food but I'm not so good at writing recipes down. I have recipe requests from friends and family members and I can never deliver because I don't know what the measurements are. This new blog will help keep me accountable.

I live in a middle class neighborhood with an average house built in the 70's, I work full time in Human Resources at a non-profit establishment, I have a supportive, wonderful husband and one awesome son. My life is great!

Here's my kitchen (remember that part about living in a 1970's house?)




I hope you enjoy cooking with this blog as much as I like writing for it.