Olive Garden At Home

I need to say that I am not responsible for the recipe, however I really do wish that I was!!!!  I had some zucchini in my fridge and wanted to make a pasta dish with it but had no clue what to do.  I was wanting a really good alfredo sauce but had yet to be happy with one.  And that was when this super yummy recipe came into my life.  It jumped out at me with the title, it said ti is better than Olive Garden!!!  I was pretty skeptical when reading that.  Olive Garden alfredo, while I am sure it is loaded with way too many calories is also extremely delicious.  I can never order anything else except their chicken alfredo with angel hair pasta every time we go because I love the sauce!!  Because of it's claim, I had to try it and OMG, yes I said OMG, it is freakin fantastic!!!!!!  I dipped my spoon in when it was done to get a taste and I screamed OMG!!!  (I normally never use that term but it was warranted) The shriek of OMG brought my kids running wondering what was going on.  I told them how amazing dinner was going to be and thank the good Lord above, they agreed.  I didn't have any angel hair pasta on hand but I used regular spaghetti noodles and put some garlic sauteed zucchini on top.  Needless to say, dinner was OMG fantastic, you must try this recipe asap!!!!!!  Head on over here for the recipe and in the meantime, enjoy some delicious pictures (I don't claim to be a great photographer because, well, I am not, but food still looks good to me no matter what).....

This was my kids plate with cut up noodles :)

Oh that sauce, I think I might dream of that darn sauce!

On a side note, I was told that I HAD to take this picture!!!!  I happily obliged, they did however come running when they heard me shrieking with delight!!!

What's For Dinner?

Let me start by saying that the above photo is not mine.  This recipe was so super yummy that I forgot to take any pictures before or even after I ate dinner last night.  Before hand I was too hungry and it smelled ridiculously good and after I was so stuffed I just wanted to clean my kitchen and sit down with a good glass of wine.  Needless to say, I didn't realize I didn't take a picture of my own until I was needing to put it in containers to be put into my fridge, oh well, the above picture I am sure is way prettier than anything I would have shot.  Moving on......

Dinner was fantastic last night.  I decided to make Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman's Butter Chicken.  It was ridiculously good, I think you got that from my description above.  It is not healthy by any means, it does require you to put a whole pint on whipping cream in it, but it is oh so yummy!!!  I did change things a bit for my family but they weren't anything that I feel made a huge difference.  The first big blunder I made was not reading the entire recipe and about 2 hours before I planned to start cooking, I read that you need to marinate the chicken overnight.  Mine got a full hour.  However, it was still flavorful and I loved it.  The second thing I did was after marinating, I chopped the chicken into bite sized pieces to cook it.  I was reading in some of the comments that the traditional butter chicken recipe (which is Indian I believe) has the chicken cut up into small pieces.  And lastly, I only added 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper.  I am not a huge fan of super spicy food and I know my kids would not have touched it if it were, so I cut it back.  The dinner was fantastic.  Our oldest had a friend stay the night and even she said it was great!!  I look forward to eating the leftovers!!!!

Oh, and I feel the need to mention how ecstatic I am because Ree will be out here in California next month and I plan on kidnapping my amazing friend Launa and taking her with me to meet her!!!  Here's hoping Marlboro Man and his wranglers makes an appearance, I am sure my camera could handle that, hehe.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I said yesterday that I would be posting my embarrassing post but I have yet to take a picture of the outcome so I cannot post yet, hopefully tomorrow......yay!!  Until then, enjoy this super yummy recipe for chicken tortilla soup.  I made it a couple of weeks ago when it was still warm out but I am really craving it right now when my toes are freezing cold and the weather outside is frightful :)

What you need:

1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 (1 ounce) taco seasoning packet
6-7 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 corn tortillas
Monterey Jack Cheese (12 ounce package), shredded
1 cup milk

What to do:

In a large pot (soup pot), saute the carrots, celery, onions, garlic, salt and pepper in the vegetable oil.  When the onions are translucent and the vegetables are somewhat tender, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the tomatoes, rotel, taco seasoning and chicken.  Take the corn totrtillas and quarter them, add them to the pot.  Let the soup boil for about 20 minutes and make sure you stir and scrape the bottom frequently so that the tortillas do not stick.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the milk and simmer for another 8-10 minutes.  When finished, top with more cheese and some sour cream.  Green onions and crunchy tortilla strips would be good as well. 

Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

If you haven't been to My Baking Addiction yet, I suggest you do.  She is always posting super yummy recipes and these cookies were one of her many fall themed recipes.  They are soft and yummy and taste unbelievable.

What you will need:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped (I used craisins and didn't shop them and they were spectacular!)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.  Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.  Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well.  Add flour mixture; combine until all ingredients are  incorporated.  Fold in white chocolate chips and dried cherries.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*12 minutes was way too soon for my cookies, they were really not done in the middle.  I think more along the lines of 14-15 minutes.  My oven cooks hot too.*

Enjoy :)

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

We normally do not eat pork in our house.   I think occasionally we have bacon, maybe once a month if that.  However, pork chops are cheap and I thought it would give us a little more variety from our typical meals.  I think the crust on this would work well with chicken and even veggies, kind of like a tempura of sorts.

What you will need:

4-5 slices of white bread, pulsed in a food processor until small crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

8 boneless thin cut pork chops

4 tablespoons olive oil

lemon wedges (optional)

What to do:

In a medium sized bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, salt and pepper.  Place the flour in a small bowl and the beaten eggs in a small bowl as well (two separate bowls, not the same one).  Dip each pork chop in the flour, making sure it is coated.  Dip in the eggs next and immediately into the bread crumb mixture.  Make sure you coat the pork chop really well.  Press the bread mixture onto the chop really well and transfer to a wire rack (place the wire rack on a baking sheet so your drippings don't make a mess).  Make sure you do this process for all of your pork chops.  Then place the whole baking sheet into your fridge for about 30-45 minutes.  When ready, place oil into a skillet and let it heat up.  Cook your chops for about 3-4 minutes until they are fully cooked and the outside is golden brown on both sides.  After plating your pork chops, place lemon wedges on the side.  Squeeze just a bit on top of each of you like that kind of thing......enjoy!!!



Chocolate Fall Cake

Starbucks has their Pumpkin Spice Latte out and I have my wreath up, the only thing left to do until October is start making yummy fall themed foods!  This week?  Yummy chocolate cake with pumpkin cream filling and drizzled with chocolate on top..........yummo!!!!

I was really wanting a piece as soon as the last drop of chocolate hit the cake so these were taken before refrigerating to let the chocolate set, I cant help myself around warm dripping chocolate!!

This was the chocolate about an hour later int he fridge. I am sure you can spread the chocolate around the whole outside of the cake but it is so rich that I just let it drip down the sides.

What you will need:

For the cake:

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup water

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened coca powder

For the filling:

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the glaze:

1/2 cup whipping cream

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans, set aside.  In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, water, oil, sugar, eggs, baking soda and salt.  Whisk until well combined.  Add the flour and the cocoa powder and whisk until the batter is smooth.  Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans you prepared.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pans and continue cooling on the rack until it is completely cooled.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon until thickened.  Place one cake on a plate and spread the filling on top.  Place the second cake right on top of the filling.  In a saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate.  Do not stir it in yet, let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring.  After the 5 minutes are up, stir until smooth.  Let it sit for 15 minutes to get thick.  Pour over the entire cake and let it drip down the sides.  If you want, you can spread it around the outside but it is not necessary.  Put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 minutes top let the chocolate set.

Enjoy :)

Pasta Primavera

This was one yummy dinner!!!  I doubled up the recipe, but forgot to buy double the asparagus, but to be honest, it was just the right amount.  If you double, you can always double the asparagus but it tastes just fine without it.

What you will need:

8 ounces bow-tie pasta

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound asparagus, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup frozen baby peas

3/4 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup copped fresh basil

What to do:

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions; drain.  While the pasta is cooking, melt the bitter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the asparagus; cook for 2 minutes.  Add the carrots and peas, cook for 3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender(I did 6 minutes at this point  since I doubled the recipe).  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Add half and half and salt and cook for one more minute or until the half and half is hot but not boiling.  Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and toss.  Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and toss.  Serve the pasta sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the basil.  Serve with some yummy french bread and dinner will be amazing!!!!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The other day I was in a baking kind of mood.  I had no clue what I wanted to do so I asked our middle one what she would like.  Cookies of course!  So, we found a new cookie we had never made before and they turned out super yummy!!!!  So, making it's first debut in our household, I give you the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie.....

What you will need:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

4 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

Mix the sugar, oil, vanilla and chocolate in a large bowl.  Mix in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheet with shortening ( I did not do this, I used parchment paper and they turned out just fine).

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat.  Shape into balls.  Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes (I did 11 and they were perfect) or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  Remove from cookie sheet.  Cool on wire rack. 

YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake?

(please disregard the horrid picture, I am also not a professional photo taker)

As with most bloggers out there, I love going to Pioneer Woman's site everyday, sometimes more than once.  She is witty and hilarious and the girl can cook.  Awhile ago I printed out the recipe for the Best Chocolate Sheet Cake.  I finally made it this past week and I don't know what to think.  I read so many comments on how amazing it was and people ate 2 pans at once because they couldn't get enough so I think I was expecting this out of this world kind of flavor and that I would die a happy woman because of this cake.  I don't know what to think of it being called the best.  It is good, don't get me wrong and super simple to make.  And the first night I tried it, my stomach was aching before I even ate any so that could be why it wasn't so tasty.  The following night I nuked it to get it hot and gooey and put some ice cream on top and it was super yummy.  So, I don't know what to think.  It is super good and I recommend trying it but I don't know about it being the best.  I hope I don't sound cynical or trying to come off as a professional food critic, I am in no way a professional, this is just my opinion.

Sloppy Joe's

Ok, this seems like I am constantly blogging about food.  I guess it is because I am trying all sorts of new recipes lately.  So, here is another one.  The other day around 2, we realized we had no clue what we would be doing for dinner.  Leftovers didn't sound good and it was too late to take anything out of the freezer.  So, I went to my go to website for food these days, none other than the cooking goddess Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman.  I have been wanting to make her summer salad but it is not something the girls would probably eat unless it is a little on the side of something so that was out.  I ended up looking in her cowboy food section (she also has a cowgirl food section to).  One of the first things I saw was her sloppy joe's.  When we lived in Illinois and Will had surgery, our church brought us some meals over.  One of the ladies brought sloppy joe's.  To be honest I was not that excited to be eating sloppy joe's.  The only kind I had ever had was Manwich out of the can.  Don't get me wrong, it is cheap and easy and not bad but then I tasted the super yummy sloppy joes this lady had made and knew it was so not out of the can.  I asked her what was in it and all I got was "Oh, it is so easy".  Needless to say I didn't get the recipe and I don't think we have made sloppy joe's, until this last weekend.  Oh my goodness these are super yummy.  They are super easy to make and your house smells divine, kind of like you have actually been cooking, haha.  And I totally recommend her idea of buttering and putting your buns on the griddle.  Our buns were a little buttery and crunchy and so were the ones for our sloppy joe's too :)  Here is what the end result looked like while it was still in the pan (minus some because my kiddos were starving of course and couldn't wait for mommy to be annoying and take a picture of the food).

And then here it is on the bun with our super healthy side of tater tots.  Which by the way, there has to be a way to make homemade tater tots and I want to know how!!!!  Minus deep frying them so they are healthy.....anyone?

Ok, so I totally mushed my bun down.  I have a habit of doing that anytime I have something on a bun.  Maybe to fit it in my mouth, maybe to make it look like I am eating less?  Maybe because I am just weird and sometimes have weird habits.  Either way, please don't mind the smooshed bun, the food is delicious and I want to spend a weekend at The Lodge and watch Ree make me food, or maybe Marlboro Man and then just eat until I cannot move.  Which would be perfect if I could sit on the porch and relax.  Have I mentioned I want to move to Oklahoma on a ranch now and have nothing but land and wild horses and streams surrounding me?

Oh Holy Cookie!!!!

There are quite a few blogs I read everyday and one happens to be Bakerella.  I found this woman pretty amazing in the first place and think you should definitely check out her site, but did you also know that she franchises with Disney now?  Her fun cake pops that she does as Disney characters are featured on Disney websites, how cool!!!  The other day she made a recipe called pillow cookies.  OMG, they looked amazing.  They consist of a brownie surrounded by a chocolate chip cookie.  They reminded me of a cookie I made by Paula Deen around Christmas where you take any miniature chocolate or peanut butter cup, whatever warms your sweet heart and surround it by a sugar cookie and bake.  Super yummy but I must tell you, they turned out gigantic.  and on this I am not exaggerating.  My Aunt went to check the cookies and all we heard was "Oh my gosh, you need to come see this".  My 6 cookies I put on the pan were the size of the whole pan!!!!!  This new recipe by Bakerella said the cookies are huge as well.  I gotta admit, that kind of freaked me out!!!!  I was thinking of ways to make them smaller.  I was also not able to place the brownie in the middle as she told you to do.  I ended up putting my brownie on a cookie sheet and then putting my cookie dough on top, covering the whole brownie.  To make the cookie look better and have it look like there isn't anything inside, you should push down the brownie a bit so it isn't in a huge lump, but not so smooshed where it is flat.  Ok, so on to the cookies.  Here mine are when they came out of the oven.

Looks like a normal chocolate chip cookie right?  Now, all you need to do is split it in half and you get this.

Do I need to even say YUUMMMMYYYY!!!  Do you see the chocolate chips all gooey?  This cookie is amazing and if I was a secret eater, I would have stolen the whole batch while my family slept.  Not all of my cookies came out so perfect.  Ask my friends.  With some you could totally tell that there was a huge ball of brownie in the middle.  That was before I figured I should smoosh it down a little.  Either way though, they are to die for and I recommend making them asap!!!!

Last Minute Yumminess

Yesterday was another grocery shopping day.  Only I had help this time.  Will came along, mainly to make sure I don't pass out since all my craziness going on, but I know secretly because he likes to add things to the cart.....unneeded things I might add.  And for the most part, I normally get home from the commissary and wonder what on earth I bought and if I can even make meals with this stuff.  Yesterday though, yesterday was brilliant and yummy.  First, we picked up some hot sauce and wings and had this for lunch...

These are just the first little bit that came off of the grill and were being coated in yummy sauce.  The kids of course insisted on trying what mommy and daddy were eating, which was quickly followed by running to the fridge for something ice cold to wash it down with.  Surprisingly they came back saying "that was really good", ha.  Then hours later came dinner and I made 2 of these bad boys.....

Homemade pizza dough, okay maybe I didn't get all fancy and make it homemade, it was store bought.  I normally use Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough which is crazy good, but this was commissary bought.  Brush the crust with a bit of olive oil, add some pesto for sauce topped with sliced tomatoes and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.  When it comes out, add your sliced avocados and enjoy.  Sooooo yummy!!!  I actually just had some cold for lunch and it is still just as good.  And I think I may want it for dinner tonight, who knows, ha.

Hello Dinner

Tonight I was super excited.  Not only because I had a glass of wine in my hand (amen to that), but mainly because I was making Pioneer Woman's Chicken with Olives.  I saw it on her blog the other day and it looked ridiculously good.  And I have never tasted a PW dish I have not liked.  This is not a recipe that you make last minute, it definitely takes time to prepare and put it all together.  But I must tell you over and over, it is all worth it!!!!  This dish has your meat with pasta and bits of yummyness all covered in a super yummy sauce.  For all the bloggers out there, you know the magic that is known as PW and if you are new or don't blog and are wondering who the heck PW is, go to her site and look around.  She is an amazing woman!!  She even wrote a novel which is all about her and her husband and their love story, it is so good it will make you swoon.  And just a little info, I was googling a couple of nights ago out of sheer boredom and found out a lot about PW and family.  And one bit of info I got all excited about, her novel is being made into a movie that will come out in 2012!!  And right now, Reese Witherspoon is set to play her.  I see a girls night.....we totally have time to plan but I am still excited.  So, go to her site and then make this for dinner tomorrow!!