Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

I love spinach artichoke dip!!  I have tried it many different ways at many different places and this is my favorite recipe yet!  These pregnancy cravings are starting to get a little crazy.  One minute  I want chocolate milk and the next well you guessed it… spinach artichoke dip.  Not at the same time of course that would not be good.  A plus side to this is that spinach is SO SO good for you and ladies if you are pregnant it gives you a boost of folic acid!  So even with all the cheese and cream in there you are still getting some good stuff!!

Most recipes you look for online have mayonnaise in the them.  I have tried one or two of those and I really didn’t enjoy them.  So what I have done it taken different recipes, added my own touch to them and come up with what I think is one of the best spinach dips I have ever had!  I use fresh spinach instead of frozen.  You can use frozen if you want to.  If you are using fresh spinach just remember that it shrinks down a lot so what may look like at lot when its raw won’t amount to a lot when it is cooked.

 Doesn’t that look yummy!!

Ingredients:

20 ounces cooked (or frozen) spinach drained
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1 10 ounce jar Alfredo pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more for topping
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
2 cored and chopped jalapeno (more to taste)
1 medium tomato diced *optional
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot cook spinach and drain. Put the spinach back in the pot and combine all the ingredients over low heat just until everything comes together. Taste your mixture and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your liking. Now if you are feeding several people and need to bake all of your spinach dip pour the mixture into a large baking dish 8×8 usually holds all of the dip and bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly hot. Top the mixture with mozzarella cheese and put back into the oven until melted and starting to brown.

OR if you want to warm up just a little at a time you can bake them in smaller dishes such as ramekins. Your cooking time will be much less. I personally like making this full recipe and then warming it up in small servings as I get a craving!

Your spinach dip can be eaten with chips or with slices of baguette, or whatever you like!! I hope you enjoy this dish!
We love it at my house!

~Cheers!

 

Lemon Bars – The Perfect Summer Dessert

It is officially summer and what does that mean… lots of cooking out!  I love having friends and family over for cookouts it is the best thing about summer.  Also summer time means that it is time for lots of fresh fruits and vegetables!!  These lemon bars are the perfect summer dessert.  Now I know that sometimes lemon bars are too tart for some people’s liking.  This is why I like to use meyer lemons.  Meyer lemons are said to be a cross between either a tangerine or an orange.  That little taste of orange in these bars mellows out the tartness a considerable amount!  Trust me they are delicious!  Meyer lemons are becoming one of my favorite things to cook with.  One more thing I love about these lemon bars is the crust!  It is so yummy.

I have made these lemon bars with regular lemons and meyer lemons.  Either way they will turn out delicious!

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons meyer lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Turn the speed to low add the flour and salt until mixed.  Dump the dough into a 9×13 inch baking dish.  Press out the dough to form a solid layer on the bottom and press 1/2 inch up the sides of the dish.  Chill for about 5 minutes.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.  Pour over the crust.  The filling may go above the crust that is ok!  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is set.  Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into desired serving size and shape. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

To me these lemon bars taste like summer!  This is a light and tasty dessert that would make the perfect addition to any summer meal!  Take these to a cookout and they will be sure to impress.  Just don’t expect any leftovers!

I hope you like these as much as we do.

~Cheers

 

Zucchini Bread – So Delicious

I truly love to bake!  Even more now that I am pregnant and I get these cravings.  I love zucchini bread and have for a long time. I made some the other day for National Zucchini Bread Day (yes there is a day) and it turned out so good I pretty much ate the entire loaf.  You can eat it for breakfast, a snack or for dessert yummy!  I am getting hungry as I type.  The original recipe I found was from Paula Deen and I changed some things up to make it my own.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This recipe makes two loaves so you can give one to a friend or have more for yourself!

Ingredients:
3 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Nutmeg
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
3 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs Beaten
1/3 Cup Water
2 Cups Fresh Grated Zucchini
1/2 Zest From Lemon
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grate the Zucchini using something similar to a cheese grater (I use my cheese grater) and set aside.

Combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar in a medium size bowl.  In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a separate bowl combine oil, eggs, water, lemon zest and lemon juice,  and zucchini.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients then fold in the nuts.  Bake in two loaf pans sprayed with non-stick spray.  Cook for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.  Let cool and enjoy!!

That is all it takes for this delicious bread!  Super easy and super worth it!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

 

~Cheers

 

Buttermilk Biscuits

When my husband asks me to make him breakfast of course I jump on the opportunity.  With our different schedules it is rare that I can make him a good homemade breakfast.  Not to mention I could eat breakfast every meal of the day I love it!!! So on this particular morning Matt asked me for biscuits and gravy.  I found this biscuit recipe on Food Network Sandwich King, but of course I make some changes.  The key to good biscuits it not over mixing!  If you over mix your dough you will get flat and tough biscuits you don’t want that!!  Another important part of making biscuits is making sure all your ingredients are cold.  I like to cook my biscuits in a cast iron skillet it gives them this crunchy bottom that my husband loves.  If you don’t have a cast iron skillet you can cook them in the oven on a cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

4 cups self – rising flour (plus a little more for dusting)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 to 3 cups cold buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

** NOTE if you like more salty biscuits you can use salted butter,  also if you don’t have self-rising flour here is a substitute.

Self-rising Flour (Per 1 Cup)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place your cast-iron skillet into the oven to pre-heat as well.  Chill a large bowl, pastry cutter, and 1 stick of butter cut into 1/4 inch cubes in the freezer before making the biscuits.

Get everything out of the freezer and get ready to work quick!  Add the flour and the butter cubes to the bowl.  Using the pastry cutter (or a fork if you don’t have a pastry cutter)  mix the butter with the flour breaking the butter in smaller pieces.  The goal is to get the butter to be pea sized.

In about three batches add start to add the buttermilk.  Add buttermilk until the dough is cohesive yet moist.  You want it to just come together.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and light press into a 1 inch thick round.  Using a biscuit cutter, cut out enough biscuits to fill our cast-iron skillet.

CAREFULLY add the oil to the skillet.  I leave the skillet on my oven rack and pull the over rack out so I don’t have to worry about touching the top of the oven.  Place the cutouts into the hot skillet right up against each other and brush with melted butter.  Bake until golden brown about 15 minutes.

 

We love these biscuits!  Eat them with gravy, as a sandwich, or just with butter and jam.  Gravy being my favorite way! I wish I could give you a precise gravy recipe, but I haven’t got it precise.  So next time I make gravy I am going to have my husband snapping pictures constantly so I can show sausage gravy!  It is coming!

Hope you enjoy!

~Cheers

 

 

 

Chicken Paillard with Lemon Vinaigrette and Arugula

It is finally SPRING!  Now I am not one to wish winter away, but it seems like we have had an extremely long winter this year.  So yes I am glad winter is over and I am so happy spring is here!  When I think about it there is so much I love about spring!  My fresh herbs are starting to come back,  I have my succulents planted and the grass is finally turning green!  

What else do I love about Spring, cookouts, grilling, the food (of course), being about to spend evenings on the back porch, and last but not least… Texas Rangers Baseball!

The fruits and vegetables that come in to season in the spring just make me happy.  In the past couple of weeks I think I have eaten two pineapples and about 6 mangos,  oh and the kiwis you need to go get some now!  Spring also means summer is coming and that means shorts and swimsuits.  So the recipe I am sharing today is a quick easy chicken dish!  This is a spin on a grilled chicken salad.  Trust me as a person who eats a lot of salads in the spring and summer months I know that you can get bored with the same salad over and over again.  So change it up and try this one.

Chicken Paillard is simply a fancy term for a boneless chicken breast that has been pounded with a meat mallet until about 1/4 of an inch thick.  For this dish you can grill the chicken outside, or you can use a grill pan, or even sauté the chicken.  I use a grill pan when I make this dish because its quick and easy.

For the chicken:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4 inch thin
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil

For the Lemony Vinaigrette

1 clove of garlic peeled and minced
1 small shallot minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup olive oil

4 cups arugula washed

For the croutons:

2 cups french bread cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Begin by placing the chicken breasts between plastic wrap and pound them to about 1/4 of an inch thick.  Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat the grill pan or your grill to medium high heat.  Coat the grill pan with oil and place the chicken onto the pan.  Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.  If you try to pick it up and turn it before it is cooked it will stick to the pan so let it sit there and cook for 2 to 3 minutes before checking it.  The chicken needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  When your chicken is cooked remove it from the grill pan and let it rest on a plate.

For the Vinaigrette:

Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.  While continuing to whisk, in a steady stream slowly add the olive oil.  The vinaigrette will start to thicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss the arugula in the vinaigrette just before serving.

For the Croutons:

Toss the bread in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place on a cookie sheet and cook in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and crispy.  About 10 minutes.

To finish place the chicken on the bottom of the plate and top with a handful of dressed arugula.  Sprinkle with croutons and drizzle them with a little more vinaigrette.  Then enjoy!  This is a simple yet flavorful dish that is healthy at the same time!

This dish would pair well with a crisp white wine like a Pinot Grigio or an un-oaked Chardonnay.

Here’s to healthy eating and the arrival of Spring!

~Cheers

 

Corn Agnolotti – My Husband’s Favorite Dish

This dish is absolutely delicious!!  I won’t lie to you it is a difficult and time-consuming dish, but trust me it is so worth it!  This is my husband’s favorite dish and I love cooking it for him.  I think he could eat this everyday if I let him! This is a beautiful dish that is sure to impress!

Some equipment that will make your life easier:

A juicer.  This dish uses corn juice.  It is best to use fresh corn on the cob, it has the best flavor.  You will be cutting the corn kernels off the cob and running them through the juicer.  I have found that if you run the kernels through the juicer twice it will give you more juice!  No need to waste!

A pasta press.  One of my all time favorite things to make is pasta!  I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  It comes with a pasta attachment that rolls out sheets of pasta.  It makes nice smooth sheets that will be crucial in this recipe! Plus if you get this attachment you can make your own spaghetti and fettuccine.  It is so much fun!

This pasta is filled with a polenta risotto mixture, and topped with a corn sauce.  Is your mouth watering yet?

Lets Get Started

This full recipe makes approximately 48 so feel free to half it if you need to!

For this recipe you will need 21 ears of corn.  Using a knife carefully remove all the kernels from all the ears of corn. Set aside 2/3 cup corn kernels.  Run the rest of the kernels through a juicer.  Again I have found you will get more juice if you take the pulp and run them through a second time.  Set the juice aside.

If you do not have a juicer simply put the corn kernels in a blender with just a little bit of water and puree.  Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, pour the liquid into the strainer and allow the juice to drain.  Press lightly on the puree to get as much juice as you can.

Pasta filling ingredients:
Polenta
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon polenta
Risotto
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups corn juice

Pasta Dough Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 egg yolks
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon milk

Corn Sauce Ingredients:
2 cups corn juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon white truffle oil (more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Parmigiano Reggiano to finish

Directions:

For the pasta:

It is important to make the pasta first so that it has time to rest before rolling it out.  When making pasta I like to use my largest wooden cutting board so that I don’t make a huge mess.  Mound the flour in the center of your work surface.  Make a well in the center of the flour.  Make sure the well is large enough to hold all the eggs.  Pour the egg, egg yolks, milk and oil into the center of the well.  Using either a fork or your fingers start to mix the liquid in a circular motion gradually pulling in more flour as you go. Using a pastry scraper start pushing the flour into the liquid mixture.  When the flour is incorporated start to knead your pasta dough with your hands it will look flaky at first.  If it is so dry that you cannot get it to form a ball add a teaspoon of water to help moisten all the flour.  Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.  Knead the dough for another 15 minutes until the dough is smooth.  Double wrap the pasta with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes no longer than one hour.  Make sure to take your pasta out and let it come to room temperature before rolling.

For the Polenta:

Bring the stock and the water to boil in a sauce pan.  Whisk the liquid and pour in the polenta while continuing to whisk.  Bring to a simmer.  Turn the heat to low.  Cook the polenta, stirring occasionally for approximately 20 minutes.  When it is cooked it will form a ball and will have no raw cornmeal taste.  Keep warm over very low heat.

For the Risotto:

Bring the stock and water to a simmer in a sauce pan.   Spread the rice in one layer in a separate wide sauce pan.  Add 1/2 cup of the hot liquid and stir constantly over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated.  Add another 1/2 cup and continue adding 1/2 cup of liquid as each evaporates.  Continue to add stock and water until it is fully cooked.  When it is cooked it will form a sticky ball as it is stirred.  It will have a ticker consistency than risotto you would serve on its own.

*It is very important to have the liquid hot when adding it to the rice.  If it is cool or room temperature liquid you will have sticky, and improperly cooked risotto.  It’s an extra step but it is important to the texture of the rice.

While it is still hot put the risotto in a food processor or food mill.  Grind it until fine.  Place the polenta in a clean sauce pan, and set over low heat.  Stir in the ground risotto. Remove from heat and add mascarpone and butter until combined.

Place 1 1/4 cups corn juice in a small sauce pan.  Stirring constantly heat the corn juice to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  Make sure you are stirring the corn juice constantly otherwise it will scorch and burn on the bottom of your pan. Remove the corn juice from the heat and stir into the risotto/polenta mixture.  Mix until all elements are combined.  Taste the filling you can add salt and pepper here if you wish.

Roll out the agnolotti.

Roll out the pasta dough into sheets.  If you are using a pasta roller, roll them to a 5.  Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured surface.  I like to use my wooden cutting board (makes it less messy).  Place the filling in a piping bag.  If you don’t have a piping bag you can use a large zip lock bag to pipe out the filing.  Cut the tip of the bag so that you will have 1/2 inch tube when you pipe out the filling.

Pipe a tube of filling along the long side of the pasta sheet.  Leave 3/4 inch border of pasta along the top.  Pull the bottom of the pasta and roll it up and over the filling.  Seal the pasta by carefully pressing with your index finger to seal the edge of the dough to the pasta sheet. When it is sealed you will have approximately 1/2 inch excess pasta this is what you want.  Seal the left and right ends of pasta.  To shape the agnolotti place your thumb and index finger on either side of the pasta and pinch.  Pinch together the pasta every inch.  Using a crimped pasty cutter, cut the pockets of the filling apart but running the cutter where you pinched.  Make sure to leave enough pasta on either side of the agnolotti so they don’t come unsealed.  Dust the agnolotti with semolina flour or regular flour if you are not cooking them right away.  This will keep them from sticking together.  (The image below is what the shape of agnolotti should look like)

For the corn sauce

In a small sauce pan boil  the 2/3 cup reserved corn kernels until cooked.

Place 2 cups corn juice in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir constantly while heating to 180 Degrees Fahrenheit.  Add the butter and whisk until completely melted. Add the cooked corn kernels.  Add salt, pepper and white truffle oil to taste.

To finish the dish cook the agnolotti in lightly salted boiling water.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until they float to the top of the boiling water.  Drain the agnolotti and top with the sauce and shavings of Parmesan and finely minced chives.

I truly hope you enjoy this dish,  not only enjoy eating it but enjoy making it!  This dish for me is love.  I cook it for my husband because he loves it and seeing him enjoy something that I cooked for him makes me so happy. Of course I love this dish too!

Open up a bottle of white wine,  we typically enjoy this dish with a nice oaked Chardonnay.  It will pair so nicely!  Plus you deserve a glass of wine after cooking this dish!

~Cheers

 

 

 

Quick Easy Delicious Banana Pudding

Awhile back we had dinner with some friends and for dessert she made this banana pudding and I have been hooked ever since. Now this is not your traditional banana pudding that you cook and that has the big fluffy meringue.  That’s for another day!  This recipe is so quick and easy and it makes a ton!  You will have a 9×13 casserole dish full of fluffy banana pudding.  It’s perfect for any cook out or family event, or even to satisfy the pregnancy cravings I have been getting lately! I don’t think I have met anyone who doesn’t like this banana pudding recipe!

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 (3.4 ounce) box of instant french vanilla pudding mix
1 (3.4 ounce) box of instant banana cream pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) tub cool whip
6-8 bananas sliced
2 – 3 boxes Lorna Doone cookies

Directions:

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.  Beat in condensed milk, both pudding mixes, cold milk and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.  Fold in cool whip.

Line the bottoms of a 9×13 baking dish with cookies.  I like to have more of a crunch to mine so I put the cookies going up the side of the dish too.

Arrange banana slices evenly over cookies.  If you like more bananas like me you can put two layers.  Spread the pudding mixture over the bananas.

Then top with additional cookies.  Cover your dish with plastic wrap and chill.  The banana pudding is best the next day so I make it the night before I plan on eating it.  But if you just can’t wait go ahead dive in!

I hope you enjoy this quick and easy recipe!

~Cheers

 

 

 

 

Mini Apple Pies

This week is one of our best friend’s birthday so naturally Matt and I wanted to cook his favorite dinner. When I started talking to his wife about this we decided it had to be a surprise party. We totally pulled it off!! Anyways…when I asked what his favorite cake was her reply was Apple pie! I knew I didn’t want to do just an ordinary apple pie so I decided to make everyone their own mini pie using my muffin pan! These turned out so good and not to mention they were super cute!

A couple of things about making mini apple pies:
1) you have to cook your apples first
2) apples shrink when they bake so fill them past the top of the muffin tin
3) when baking set the muffin tin on a cookie sheet to protect your oven from spills

This recipe makes 24 mini pies using a traditional size muffin pan.

Ingredients:
7 pounds baking apples (I used gala)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg ( fresh is best but you can use whatever you have)
Cornstarch
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions
1. Peel and core all the apples. Then cut into 1/4 inch pieces. I did mine in cubes
2. In a large Dutch oven stir together all the filling ingredients.
3. Cook covered over medium heat stirring occasionally until the apples are tender. This could take about 30 minutes
4. Uncover and cook until the liquid thickens and becomes similar to syrup. Remove the apples from the heat and let cool for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Take a deep breath because your house will smell fantastic!!!

* I did this step the night before and refrigerated the apples over night if you do this make sure to let the come back to room temperature before filling your pies

Now let’s talk pie crust. For this recipe you can buy pre-made pie crust or your can make your own. The pre-bought crusts are already rolled out to the perfect thickness for these mini pies. You would need about 4 regular size pies worth of dough for 24 pies.  If you want to make your own pie crust you can find that recipe here https://wineanddineathome.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/millionaire-and-pecan-lets-talk-pie/.

Next you need to spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.  Don’t skip this step you do not want your pie crusts to stick!

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

If you are using homemade pie crusts roll them out to about 1/4 of an inch thick.  Carefully cut round pieces of dough and gently press them into your muffin tin.  Cut off any extra crust.  The crust needs to be even with the top of the muffin tin.

Now fill the muffin tins with the apple mixture.  You need to mound the apples up in the center.  The apples will shrink in size once they are cooked and cooled.  Just go a little bit over the top of the muffin tin.

DON’T FORGET TO SET YOUR MUFFIN TIN ON A COOKIE SHEET!!

Cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the apple mixture is bubbling.

While the pies are cooking make the crumble:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 room temperature butter

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients. Using a fork mix until you have a coarse crumble.

When the pies are almost done.  Carefully cover each one with some of the crumble.  Continue cooking for about 10 more minutes or until the crumble is lightly browned.

Now comes the hard part… Let the pies cool completely!!!  If you do not let the pies cool and set you risk them sticking to the muffin tin or the bottoms of the pies falling out.  You don’t want this to happen!  So walk away and let them cool!

When they are cooled run a sharp knife between the pie crust and the muffin tin to loosen them up.  Then gently ease them out.  Now eat!!!  We of course had to eat them warm with some vanilla ice cream.

I hope you enjoy these little pies!  They taste great and like I said they are so cute!

~Cheers

 

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I love broccoli and cheese soup!  I have been making this soup for several years now and I think I FINALLY have it just right!! I can’t order broccoli and cheese soup and restaurants any more because none that I have found are as good as this one!

Ingredients:

-3 Tablespoons Butter

-1 Bunch Chives diced

-3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

-4 Cups Chicken Broth

-1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese

-1/2 cup Velveeta Cheese

-1 cup half and half (or more to taste)

-3 to 4 heads of fresh broccoli

-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium stock pot melt the butter.  Add the diced chives and cook for 3 minutes until they are tender.  Sprinkle in flour.

Once the flour has soaked up all the butter pour in the chicken broth.

Stir, stir, stir so that the lumps of flour start to break down. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium to medium low for about 10 minutes.

While this is cooking start a pot of salted water boiling.  Cook the fresh broccoli until just tender.  Drain and set a side. Add the cheeses and the half and half to the broth mixture.  Keep the heat on medium low and stir frequently while the cheese melts. You don’t want it to burn on the bottom of your pan.  Now that the broccoli has cooled some cut into small pieces.  I take a fork and mash it up so I have broccoli in every bite of soup!  But you can make the pieces as small or as large as you like.  Add the broccoli to the soup and continue to cook.  Add the nutmeg.  The nutmeg is a key ingredient to this soup!  I love the flavor it gives.  Now its time to taste.  Add your desired salt and pepper.  After you add the salt and pepper it is ready to eat!  Now keep in mind the longer you let this soup cook the better it will taste!

Yum!!! This is perfect for a cold day!  I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do at my house.

~Cheers

 

 

 

Healthy Lettuce Wraps

It’s that time of year when New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing and we are all trying to lose that holiday meal weight we gained.  Well I am trying to drop my holiday weight anyways. After talking to some friends about healthy eating I came home and asked my husband what he wanted for dinner and this is what he asked for.  I thought what a great healthy recipe to share!  These taste VERY similar to the lettuce wraps you would find at some popular restaurants, but better for you!

These lettuce wraps are a great portion size for two people for dinner.  If we are really hungry sometimes I will steam some rice to go with them, but these really are enough for a meal!  For this recipe you use a good amount of soy sauce.  Now soy sauce can be really salty and you really have to be careful with it.  So what I do is buy the low sodium soy sauce so I can control how much salt I want in my food.

Another great thing about this recipe is you can change it up as you like!  Sometimes I will add some bamboo shoots, sometimes I will add some radishes, carrots, bean sprouts, carrots, really anything.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons oil (I use canola)

1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey

1 cup water chestnuts cut into pea size pieces

1 cup mushrooms (I like shiitake) cut into pea size pieces

1/2 cup bamboo shoots

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (more to taste)

3 Tablespoons diced onions

2 garlic cloves minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Head of  Iceberg or butter lettuce

Dipping Sauce:

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Juice from one small lemon

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1-2 teaspoons Sriracha

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

 

Directions:

Make your dipping sauce first the longer you let it all sit together the better it is.  In a small bowl combine all the dipping sauce ingredients and stir making sure the sugar dissolves.

Now make the stir fry sauce.  Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved.

Next make your chicken or turkey filling. In a large skillet or wok bring oil to high heat.  You will start to see some smoke  come off the oil and that is fine!  Add your meat and cook until it is almost done.  Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the meat is done.  Turn the heat to medium low and add the stir fry sauce.  Let this simmer for a couple of minutes then add your mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.  Stir everything up so that it is all evenly mixed.  Let it continue to simmer so that all the flavors cook together.  After about 5 minutes taste your filling.  Add some sesame oil, salt, pepper, more soy whatever you think it needs!  If you are using sesame oil be very careful with it. It is a very strong flavor.  Turn the heat off and get ready to serve.

Wash your lettuce and carefully remove whole leaves so you have like a lettuce cup!  Butter lettuce is better when you find it in season.

Have your chicken or turkey filling in a bowl, your lettuce on a plate and your dipping sauce in a bowl!

Put your filling in the lettuce, top with your dipping sauce and enjoy!!!

These are quick and easy!  I hope you enjoy this recipe and hopefully it gets you out of the healthy eating rut!

~Cheers