Checkin in

Wow!! It has been a while since I posted any recipes.......I actually don't think I have cooked anything new lately, just repeats of things already posted.  I did however make some homemade coffee creamer that is really good!! I got them from a link on another friends blog. Thanks Christine ;) I made the Cinnamon Struedel and the Vanilla one.YUMMY!!

Homemade Coffee Creamer


I prefer to strain each of the creamers through a fine mesh sieve to prevent any spices floating in my coffee. If this doesn’t matter to you, then simply skip this step.

Each recipe makes 2 cups

Cinnamon Strudel Creamer

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Whisk together milk, cream, maple syrup and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat. Stir in extracts. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Almond

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons cacao powder

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon almond extract

Whisk together milk, cream, cacao powder, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in almond extract. Pour in a glass container and store in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Spice

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons pureed pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together milk, cream, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

French Vanilla

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 vanilla bean

Whisk together milk, cream and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cut vanilla bean in half, and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and vanilla bean to milk mixture. Turn off heat, cover the pot and steep for 30 minutes. After mixture has steeped, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. (If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, simply replace it with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)

Peppermint Mocha

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons cacao

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Whisk together milk, cream, maple syrup, and cacao in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from the heat and stir in the peppermint extract. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Stuffed Pesto Chicken

I think Mike said "oh man", or "ummmmm" for about the first 10 bites of this tonight. He said it tasted like it came from Carraba's! I served it with whole wheat pasta mixed with the leftover pesto I used.


Stuffed Pesto Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 c feta cheese

1/4 c paprika (this is NOT a typo, yes 1/4 CUP)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 c pesto

1-2 cloves garlic

2 1/2 T olive oil



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With sharp knife cut a slit into chicken breasts not cutting all the way through, just creating a "pocket". Stuff with feta cheese and put into 9x13 baking dish. In small bowl combine: paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme and salt. Spread evenly over chicken. Spoon pesto over chicken. Sprinkle with garlic. Drizzle oil over the top and cover with aluminum foil (shiny side down). Put in oven for 35-45 minutes (chicken breast thickness vary greatly) until no longer pink inside.

The Weekend

As always.......Hamburgers on friday night.
Saturday night we went out to dinner with friends at my favorite mexican restaurant.....Chuy's!! YUMMY!!!
And Sunday night we grilled some ribeyes.

Having some remodel work done in my kitchen and it is still not done!! The mess is driving me CRAZY!!! I really wish he would get finished! It looks GREAT!! Hopefully it will be completed VERY soon!!

Butter Chicken

This was really good!! It called for 2 spices I didn't have so when I went grocery shopping I was shocked at how expensive ground coriander and cardamom were! It was worth it though. Will be making it again for sure!

Butter Chicken
Prep Time 12 Hours

Cook Time 40 Minutes Servings 4


Ingredients

•4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut Into Bite Sized Pieces)

•5 cloves Garlic, Minced

•1 teaspoon Salt

•½ teaspoons Black Pepper

•½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

•¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander

•¼ teaspoons Cumin

•¼ teaspoons Cardamom

•1 whole Lime, Juiced

•1 whole Onion, Diced

•¼ cups Butter

•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce

•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes

•1 pint Whipping Cream

•1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste

•2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Preparation Instructions

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.



Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.



Note: this is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you want.

Turkey Pot Pie

Made this with our leftover Turkey. I have enough in the freezer to make another one. My kids actually even ate the peas and carrots in it. Shocking!!

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used leftover turkey)

1 - 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced (optional)

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 - med/large potato diced and cooked

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 cup chicken broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 1/2 Cups Biscuit Baking Mix (Pioneer, Bisquick or Jiffy)

1 cup milk

1/2 - Stick Melted Butter





Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

The Week

Can't believe it's already Thursday and I haven't blogged all week!!

Saturday night I was heading out to hang out with some girlfriends so I made some quick and easy Spaghetti with meat sauce.
Then on Sunday I made a Turkey! I cooked one for Christmas dinner and love having the leftover turkey but there was only enough left for the kids to eat it again for dinner Christmas night.....so I made another one. I stuffed it so we had that along with mashed potatoes, gravy and steamed broccoli. I have enough leftover that I will be making a Turkey Pot Pie in the next 2 weeks sometime.

Monday I made crockpot chops and gravy. The recipe can be found in an earlier post.

Tuesday I made baked chicken, boxed potatoes augratin (YUCK!! but everyone else likes them) and steamed mixed veggies. Then we headed over to Judi's for cake and ice cream to celebrate Kylie's 4th birthday......she is the cutest!!

Wednesday night we had Creamy Italian Chicken over noodles. Recipe is also in an earlier post.

Thursday night Mike and the kids will be eating leftovers. I am going to Perry's with some girlfriends to celebrate Robin and Vanessa's birthdays.

My mom had her Pet scan yesterday and they told her they would have the results to her Dr. on Friday so she wouldn't have to go through the weekend not knowing.....I am praying for good results!!

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili and a Prayer Request

This is really good on a cold day! I have tried many cornbread mixes and I really think Jiffy has got to be the best! And it's only about .50 a box!!

Please be praying for my mom.......she was diagnosed last week with lung cancer :(  She has to have a PET scan to see if it is anywhere else and then he can stage it and make a plan of action. We have known for about a week but I haven't told many people.......it really makes me sad! I LOVE my mom!





Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili



Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 10  Size: 10 oz  Prep Time: 5 minutes  Calories: 202 Points: 4 ww points

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 16-oz can black beans

• 1 16-oz can kidney beans

• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce

• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels

• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies

• 1 packet taco seasoning

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 1 tbsp chili powder

• 24 0z. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts

• chili peppers, chopped (optional)

• chopped fresh cilantro

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points