Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

Maybe you're like me, and you've tried and failed many a time with getting your sweet potatoes to crisp up. I had almost given up until my friend introduced me to this method. You make them in the microwave! And it actually works! And a plus is, you don't have to turn your oven on and heat up the house. I can't get enough of these! My kids love them too. It's so hard to resist eating the entire batch at once. I hope you'll give them a try :)

Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients: 

1-2 pounds sweet potatoes 

Olive oil 

Salt & pepper to taste

Any other seasoning of choice (I used paprika and garlic powder) 

Directions: 

Thoroughly wash your potatoes, leaving the skin on. Using a mandolin set with the thinnest blade or crinkle cut blade, slice the potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to lightly coat them. Don't use too much! There should be no oil sitting in the bottom of your bowl afterwards. Using your hands, gently toss the sliced potatoes until evenly coated with oil. At this time, spinkle with salt, pepper and any other seasonings you desire.

Grab a large plate or platter that will fit in your microwave and line it with parchment paper. Arrange your potato slices in one even layer and place in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. Flip them over and microwave another 4-5 minutes, until they begin to brown lightly. Remove from the parchment paper and allow the chips to cool completely before eating, at least 10-20 minutes. They will crisp even more as they cool. You will need to do this multiple until all your chips have been cooked. 

Each pound of potatoes will make about 2 servings. So make as much or as little as you want! They shrink up quit a bit as the cook. Enjoy!!

A couple other helpful notes:

-If you're able to change the settings on your microwave, put it in the very lowest setting! You want to give the chips plenty of time to dry out without burning them. 

-If you don't have a mandolin, go get one! I don't think this recipe is doable without one. I found mine at Ross for $5.99. 

Calabacitas

Ever get tired of having beans and rice with your Mexican food? I sure do! This is a fresh, easy and healthy alternative side dish to go with any Mexican meal. 

Calabacitas

Ingredients: 

Drizzle of olive oil 

1 small yellow onion, diced 

3 small/medium zucchini

3 small/medium summer squash 

3/4 c. corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)

4 oz. can diced green chilies 

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

Drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium. Add the diced onion and sauté until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. 

While onion is sautéing, wash and cut all your squash. Cut each in half lengthwise and then slice into half moon shapes, about 1/4 inch thick. Add to the skillet and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to over cook or else the squash will become mushy. 

Add the corn kernels and green chili and cook just until heated though. Lastly, season with salt and pepper to your liking and stir in the shredded cheeee until melted. Makes 8-10 side servings. 

Easiest Stuffed Acorn Squash

I couldn't resist trying one more new squash recipe before we are completely out of the cold months! I found something similar to this one on Pinterest a while ago and just got around to trying it out. I ended up tweaking it quite a bit and came up with something we loved! There was a comment that they didn't look very appetizing (resembling big beetle shells) but that didn't stop them from getting scarfed down. We had them with a side of wild rice and they were super delish!  

 Easiest Stuffed Acorn Squash 

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, cut in half with seeds removed 

Olive oil, for drizzling 

1/2 c. finely diced celery 

1/2 c. finely diced onion 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

6 oz. box herbed stuffing mix

2 c. chopped fresh spinach 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle the cut sides of the squash with a little olive oil and place cut side down on a baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until flesh is easily pierced with a fork.

While the squash is baking, drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet, heated over medium. Add the celery, onion and garlic and sauté until tender. I did mine about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, make the stuffing mix in the skillet with the vegetables, according to the package directions.

Once the squash is soft, remove from the oven and scrape out the flesh with a spoon and add to the skillet with the stuffing and vegetables. Add the spinach as well and stir to combine. You'll want to leave about 1/4 inch of flesh inside the squash skins so they can hold the filling. 

Fill each shell with 1/4 of the stuffing mixture and pop back in the oven (cut side up of course!) for another 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings. 

Four Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

Everyone loves a good lasagna! It's such a comforting food. I've made many a lasagna in my day but have never followed a recipe and it never quite turns out the same. This time, the vote from he hubby was that this is the best I've made. Plus it was super quick and easy. So I thought I'd better write it down for future reference :) I hope you'll give it a try too! 

Four Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients: 

16 oz. lowfat cottage cheese 

1 small container skim ricotta cheese 

1 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese 

4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 eggs, lightly beaten 

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

Sprinkle of salt and pepper to your liking 

1 package no boil lasagna noodles  

26 oz. marinara sauce (our favorite comes in a can from Trader Joes!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the four cheeses (reserving 2 cups of mozzarella for topping), eggs, spinach and all seasonings until well combined. 

Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of marinara, add a layer of lasagna noodles and then top with 1/4 of the cheese mixture, spread evenly over the noodles. Next, add another thin layer of sauce, followed by more noodles. Repeat 4 times until all the cheese mixture is gone, ending with a layer of sauce on top. 

Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella evenly over the top and bake uncovered for 15 minutes longer. Let stand at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 8-10.

Super Soft Snickerdoodles

A couple years ago, I posted a snickerdoodle recipe on this blog. But I never found myself going back to make it a second time. You know why? They weren't soft! And I'm not a fan of crunchy cookies. The softer, the better, in my opinion! If you're the same way, this recipe certainly will not disappoint. I can guarantee, I WILL be making these again! Everyone in the house loved them. Even the dog wanted a taste :)

Super Soft Snickerdoodles

Ingredients: 

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 1/2 c. white sugar 

2 eggs

2 3/4 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cream of tartar 

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt 

For Rolling: 

1/3 c. white sugar 

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon  

(mix together in a small bowl and set aside)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spritz with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Mix until dough comes together. 

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mix. Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Pull out while still slightly doughy in the centers and allow to cool on the pans for several minutes and then transfer to cookie racks to cool completely. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies. 

Recipe found here: http://seattleflourchild.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/seahawk-doodles-also-known-as-snicker-doodles-cookies-for-game-day/

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Alfredo

I came across this recipe on Pinterest (where else??) and it looked too interesting not to try. I've always been an alfredo fan, but I just can't bring myself to eat it with all the sticks of butter and loads of heavy cream that go into it! So I loved that the puréed sweet potato takes the place of those heavy ingredients in this recipe. The end result was amazing! I may even love it more than the classic sauce. I hope you'll give it a try too.

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Alfredo

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, browned*

2 small or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed 

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 

1 c. milk (I used 2%)

1 3/4 c. water, divided

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

1 clove fresh garlic, minced 

1/8 tsp. nutmeg 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 lb. dried angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions 

Directions: 

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the cubed sweet potatoes and cook until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and place cooked sweet potatoes into a blender with 1 cup of water and carefully purée until smooth. 

To brown the butter, place in a skillet heated over medium and immediately whisk until it begins foaming, about 2-3 minutes. Brown bits will start showing at the bottom, at this point, remove the skillet from the stove and swirl the butter around in the pan so it doesn't go from brown to burned. 

Place the skillet with the butter back over medium heat and whisk in the flour for 30 seconds. Next, slowly add the milk, whisking as you pour, until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. 

Next, add the sweet potatoes and remaining cup of water. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the Parmesan cheese, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and turn off the heat once heated through. If sauce is too thick, you may add more water to thin it out. Serve over prepared angel hair and enjoy! Makes 4-6 servings. 

Original recipe found here: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2014/01/08/brown-butter-sweet-potato-alfredo

It's been a while!

Hello, friends! It's been almost exactly 14 months since my last blog post....and I've really missed it! The main reason I haven't kept up with it is time...or lack thereof. But I got a handy new Blogger app for my iPhone so I'm going to see if I can stay on top of posts using that. Don't hold me to it though! I'm going to try it out and see how it goes :)

So let me give you a quick update on life. I'm now working as a part time assistant to the accounting manager at a title company, and I absolutely love it! I work 30 hours a week. Randy is no longer at Lowes. He works about 15 hours a week as the worship leader at our church, going on his 6th year there. He's also Mr. Mom these days, which works out really well. We've been in our new house for almost 2 years and have redone all of it but the kitchen and bathrooms.

Margot is 4 1/2 and learning to read, do math and science, and she's all about anything Disney princess. She's super goofy and sweet, tall and skinny, and lots and lots of fun! Amelia is 2 1/2 and has turned out to be our strong-willed, outgoing and talkative one. And she has the biggest eyes you've ever seen! She loves animals and singing more than anything, and makes us laugh a lot with her crazy dance moves she comes up with.

One of the biggest reasons I've missed blogging, is that I used to use it as my own personal cyber recipe box. And all the recipes we've tried over the last year plus have kind of been forgotten. I haven't had a place to store them and come back to them and make them again. So I'm kind of blogging for selfish reasons I guess :) but I'm ok with that! One big change that's happened in my kitchen is that I no longer incorporate meat in my meals. I do this for health reasons, cost cutting and some of my own personal convictions. Hopefully that won't bum you out or scare you away. I hope you'll stick around and find something you like here!

Chloé

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

 

In all my years of baking, I've never made scones! They're one of my favorite pastries but I never got up the nerve to make them before. They seemed too messy and complicated. I finally sucked it up and gave them a try. They were indeed messy. But not complicated at all! AND they turned out amazing! I'm already making another batch today for some friends :)

 

 

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

Ingredients:

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. sour cream

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. white sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cold butter, diced
1 c. frozen raspberries*
1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1 tbsp. butter, melted
Sugar for sprinkling

 

Directions:

Whisk together the milk and sour cream and refrigerate until needed. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium or large bowl. Add the diced, cold butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the size of small peas. Add the milk mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.

Place the dough onto a liberally floured work surface (this is where it gets messy!). Using floured hands, dust the dough with flour and knead 6-8 times, until it holds together in a ball. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an approximate 12-inch square. Fold dough into thirds, like a letter, using a spatula to release dough if it sticks to the counter top. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form an approximate 4-inch square. Roll into a 12 inch square again. Sprinkle raspberries and white chocolate evenly over surface of the dough. Using a spatula, loosen the dough from the work surface and roll up tightly into a log. Place seam side down and press log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp, floured knife, slice rectangle into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 18-24 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 large scones.

 

Recipe found here

 

 

*I like to use frozen raspberries and break them into small pieces before adding them to the dough. It disburses them more evenly and you don't get big mouthfuls of raspberries when you bite into the scone.

 

Chewy Chocolate Almond Cookies (gluten-free)

It's been a while, guys! Life is very full (in a good way) and I just haven't had the time to sit and update my little blog. Honestly, I've been thinking about deleting it all together...we'll see. Anyways, I've been cooking and baking like crazy, as well as doing tons of house and craft projects but these cookies were just too good not to share! Even if you don't do the gluten free thing, these are definitely worth a try. Probably in my top 5 favorite cookies. The flavor and texture are out of this world!



Chewy Chocolate Almond Cookies

Ingredients:
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp. butter, softened
2 eggs
1/3 c. white sugar, plus additional for rilling
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3/4 c. finely ground almonds

Directions:
Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Once melted, stir in the butter until thoroughly combined. Using a mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and almond extract until light and frothy, about 60 seconds. Fold the egg mixture into the the chocolate, then fold in the ground almonds.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out dough balls and roll in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, just until cookies are set. Allow to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies.


Recipe adapted from here

Toasted Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

Oh my gosh...these are like a little piece of heaven in your mouth! So simple, yet so delicious! I love rice krispie treats and a looooove coconut so I knew I couldn't go wrong mixing the two together. I may or may not have eaten these for breakfast today ;)



Toasted Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter
10 oz. bag mini marshmallows
1 1/2 c. toasted shredded sweetened coconut*, divided
1 1/4 tsp. coconut extract
5 c. Rice Krispies cereal
Directions:
Generously spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium/low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Stir in half the toasted coconut (3/4 cup) and the coconut extract. Remove from heat and stir in the cereal until well combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and press down with your fingers (it helps if you put a little cold water on your finger tips to prevent sticking). Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of toasted coconut on top and press lightly. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting and severing.

*To toast coconut, heat a skillet over medium heat (no oil needed) and add coconut. Stir constantly until lightly browned and crunchy, about 5 minutes.

Healthier Sesame Chicken

Here's yet another photo my hubby snapped on his iPhone at the dinner table. I've been too lazy to get my camera out I guess! This recipe is from my friend Jessy's blog. I've had it saved all year and finally got around to making it this week! Mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as hers but it sure did taste amazing. And it was SO easy! I usually shy away from making Asian dishes at home because they usually involve many steps and a deep fryer. This didn't require either. We'll definitely eat this again!

Healthier Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1/4 c. chopped scallions

Directions:

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken to the bag, seal and shake well to coat. Generously spray a large skillet with non stick cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat. Add chicken to the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes, until no longer pink. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add soy sauce and sugar to the skillet. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Finally, add chicken and scallions. Toss and serve immediately over hot, steamed brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Raspberry Almond Bars - take 1

I say "take 1" because I have a pile of raspberry almond bars/tarts/cakes etc. that I'll be trying out over the next several weeks to determine which recipe is best. Then I'll make my favorite for a big event I'm baking for in September.

This one turned out well. I don't have anything to compare it to though since it's the first! But it was really easy to make and they don't seem dry (something I'm trying to avoid). I'm feeding these to a group of ladies this evening...so we'll see if they go over well!

Raspberry Almond Bars

Ingredients:

2 c. white flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. almond extract
10 oz. raspberry preserves
1/2-3/4 c. sliced almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9 pan and set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute on medium speed. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Next, slowly add the flour mixture until well combined. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly with raspberry preserves. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until dough is set. Cool completely, cut into squares and serve.

Mango Coconut Sorbet

Wow! This post is long overdue! So sorry for how dead it's been around here. We're still busy busy getting our house in order....I'll have some room reveal posts soon! Over the last couple weeks I redid our laundry room, Amelia's room and put some finishing touches on Margot's room. It's looking and feeling great!

I really wanted to take a moment and share this sorbet recipe with you. It's just too good not to! I made this for my family earlier this week and it was consumed immediately! Everyone raved about it. Even a couple people who don't care for either flavors loved it. Mango and coconut are two of my favorite things to eat so I was super excited to make this! It met all my expectations and then some! I can't wait to make it again. Someone snapped this photo and posted it on Instagram. I borrowed it since it was the only one taken :)


Mango Coconut Sorbet

Ingredients:
3/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. water
2 c. peeled and cubed ripe mango
13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1.5 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 c. flaked coconut, toasted*

Directions:
In a small saucepan over med/low heat, combine the water and sugar and stir occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Next, place the mango cubes, coconut milk, lime juice and coconut extract into a blender and pulse until smooth. Add the sugar water and pulse a few more times until well combined. Place mixture into a container with a lid and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours. Once mixture is chilled, place in your ice cream maker and freeze to soft serve consistency. Transfer to a freezer container with lid and freeze 2-3 hours, until firm. Serve topped with toasted coconut*. Makes 6 servings.

*To toast coconut, heat a large skillet over med/high heat (no oil needed) and add coconut. Stir constantly until lightly browned and crunchy, about 5 minutes. Cool and serve.

Cake Batter Cookies

I've seen lots of recipes for these cookies floating around blogs and Pinterest and I finally decided to give them a try. It's probably a really bad thing that I did! They were SO easy to make and SO delicious! And the flavor combos are endless...chocolate cake mix with peanut butter chips, lemon cake mix with poppy seeds, vanilla cake mix with chocolate chips, etc. etc.
I made these for 4th of July and slapped some vanilla frosting and a scoop of vanilla ice cream between a two cookies and made sandwiches out of them. They are the perfect cookie for making sandwiches because they're extremely moist and chewy but hold they're shape well.



Cake Batter Cookies

Ingredients:
18.25 oz. vanilla cake mix
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. colored sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350, grease a couple of cookie sheets and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, baking powder, eggs, oil and vanilla on medium speed, just until combined, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. They will be very soft, so allow them to cool about 5 minutes before removing them from the pans to cool. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Pork and Pineapple Kabobs over Wild Rice

This has got to be one of my very favorite dishes I've made in a while! This will be a go to meal many times this summer, for sure. The flavors were awesome! The pork was juicy and tender, mixed with the tanginess of the bbq sauce with the sweetness of the pineapple...mmm mmm! So good! Can't wait to make these again.

Pork and Pineapple Kabobs over Wild Rice

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 c. barbeque sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 c. pineapple chunks

1 c. green bell pepper chunks

1 6 oz. box wild rice mix, prepared according to package directions

Directions:

Whisk together the barbeque sauce, dijon mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and pepper. Add the pork pieces and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate and allow to marinate for 2-12 hours. When ready to prepare, heat your grill to medium/high heat. Remove meat from marinade and discard any that's remaining. Thread pork cubes onto skewers alternately with pineapple and peppers. Grill 10-12 minutes, rotating occasionally until meat is fully cooked. Serve over prepared rice. Makes 2-4 servings (depending on how hungry you are! Randy and I ate it all by ourselves)

Sour Cream Enchiladas

This is one of my favorite recipes from the Pioneer Woman. I've made it several times but I never get a chance to snap a picture because they get eaten up so fast! These enchiladas are so simple, but SO flavorful and delicious. I've always made it with low fat or fat free sour cream and they still taste awesome.

After making these several times, I made a couple small changes in the way I do it...nothing major. I just found I didn't need to use as many toritillas. Also, I only use one 10 oz. can enchilada sauce, instead of two like Ree does. I hope you'll make these. And I hope you'll love them as much as we do!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Ingredients:

10 whole corn tortillas

Canola oil, for frying

1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce

2 c. low fat sour cream

8 oz. 2% sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)

1/2 c. diced green onions

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together sour cream, green onions half the grated cheddar, cumin and cayenne pepper.
Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. Pour the enchilada sauce in a large, deep plate or pie pan. Using tongs, fry tortillas one at a time, for only about five to ten seconds per side (don't allow to crisp.) Remove from oil, then dunk tortilla in enchilada sauce. Lay tortilla on a plate, then spoon a good two or three tablespoons of the sour cream mixture in the middle. Roll tortilla, then place face down in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and sour cream mixture.
Cover the dish with any remaining enchilada sauce and the other half of the cheese, then bake, uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly.
Serve immediately. Place a dollop of sour cream on each serving, then sprinkle on sliced green onions.

Paprika Chicken Stroganoff

My husband loves anything with the word "stroganoff" in it! I've never been a huge fan, mostly because of the beef and mushrooms...two things I won't eat. But when I came across this recipe, it looked perfect for the both of us! It was fairly simple to make and the end result was delicious! Just the right amount of creamy sauce, not too saltly, and super tasty with the added tomato element. Definitely a keeper!

Paprika Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. olive oil, or more as needed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup sour cream
12-16 oz. hot, cooked egg noodles

Directions:

In a medium bowl or large plate, sprinkle the cubed chicken with the paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour on top of the chicken and toss to coat.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. The chicken will finish cooking fully a bit later so it doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through. Transfer the chicken onto a plate and set aside.
Add a bit more oil to the pan, if needed, and stir in the onions. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the chicken, until the onion is translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
Pour in about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up any bits from the bottom. Stir in the tomato paste, whisking to combine. Add the rest of the chicken broth and stir well.
Add the chicken back into the skillet and simmer the mixture over medium-low to medium heat, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and cook for about 2-3 minutes longer, until thickened. Serve over hot noodles and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Espresso Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies

When I saw this cookie recipe in Annie's blog I pinned it and planned to make them for my dad for Father's Day. I think they were a hit. Just the right amount of chewiness. The coconut and espresso flavors weren't as prominent as I'd hoped. I even added an extra tablespoon of espresso powder...but they were still super tasty!

Espresso Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. espresso powder
1 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract

1 c. dark chocolate chips

1 c. shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and espresso powder and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla and coconut extracts. Slowly add all the dry ingredients, beating on low speed, just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and coconut.

Using a medium cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes in the preheated oven just until cookies are set. Let cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Homemade Taco Salad Bowls

For Margot's birthday party, we set up a taco salad bar...super easy! You gotta have the taco shell bowls to go with it of course. I decided to make my own. I'm so glad I did! They were really easy and really tasty. The recipes I read said to use empty tin cans to bake them on but I found that using oven-safe bowls worked much much better and gave me the shape I was looking for. I will definitely revisit this one again and again!

Taco Salad Bowls

Ingredients:

10 12-14 inch flour tortillas

1/2-3/4 c. warm water
2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place 4 oven-safe bowls upside down on 2 cookie sheets. Place a square of aluminum foil over each bowl. Place the warm water and oil in a pizza pan and whisk to combine. Immerse a tortilla into the water mixture and shake any excess off. Drape the tortilla over the foil covered bowl. Repeat with 3 more tortillas and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-6 minutes, until tortilla holds its shape. Using oven mitts, take the tortillas and foil off the bowls with turn the bowls right side up on the cookie sheets. Now, place the par baked shells down inside the bowls and bake an additional 2-3 minutes until crisp and light golden brown. Remove from bowls and cool on racks. You'll have to do this in several batches until you've used all your tortillas. Makes 10 taco salad bowls.

If I won an award...

...it would be for "worst blogger".  I have not done well with keeping up with my blog during our move. We've been in our house for 3 weeks and it's not been 4 weeks since my last post. Sorry people. Moving is crazy! And we had sick kiddos on top of it. So I guess I have a pretty good excuse.

After we moved in, Margot got the stomach flu. As soon as she was well, Amelia got the stomach flu. She also got a nasty case of Impetigo on her face...all while working on 6 (yes, 6!) teeth. After the girls were both well, Randy and I traded off watching the girls and working on our other house to get it ready for our tenant. We had endless days of cleaning, painting, weeding etc. But we're done with that now! Our awesome renter moved in Friday and (hopefully) we won't have to worry about that house for a while.

We're mostly unpacked now. we've been working on that in between everything else. And Margot's room is the only one in the house that's mostly the way I want it. My brother and his wife are moving into our upstairs in a couple months, so right now we're mostly focusing on getting it renovated and ready for them. I spent over 20 hours (with the help of some friends and my mom!) in the last 3 days cleaning and painting up there. And then we'll be re-doing to bathroom. I took lots of before pictures and I'll be sure to share the end result with you all!

We are loving out new place. Even though we have lots do to still, we are enjoying all the space! We spend tons of time in our huge, grassy backyard. And we've already had friends over a few times and we're getting ready to celebrate Margot's 3rd birthday here in a couple weeks. It feels like home.

So stick with me as we work to get things done on the house and I'll be sharing lots of pictures as we make progress! Here are a few from my Instagram account...

Amelia playing in her new room

Margot's room

Randy's loving having a backyard to take care of

This is where I can find these two most of the time

Plates I've been collecting from thrift stores and such for the last couple months.
Added a few more to the left side since this picture was taken.