Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

It’s been brought to my attention that there is a correlation between recipe simplicity and attempts at cooking… the more simple the recipes I post are, the more likely my friends are to actually try to make them.  Well, you ask and you shall receive.  Last week I pinned an unbelievably simple crock pot recipe from Dishing with Leslie.  I love everything about it: short ingredients list, practically no prep, and did I mention it’s balsamic (yum)?

Light & Creamy Pasta with Fresh Veggies

Last week I had one of those nights where I was too lazy to stop at the food store, had no recipes planned, and no one to cook for… but I was hungry, damnit.  So, I took a random collection of …

Spicy Chipotle Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I could eat tacos every day. Think of all the variety! Chicken, beef, fish… topped with veggies, sour creme, guac, cheeses… the possibilities are endless. And best yet, I think they taste just as phenomenal when you replace the taco shell with crispy iceberg lettuce!  We usually make these with ground turkey in my house so they’re pretty healthy, but you could use ground beef or chicken instead.  And just like any tacos, these fantastically dynamic tasty noms can be topped with anything that tickles your fancy.

Buttermilk-Maple French Toast Muffins

When I was little, my dad owned a bakery. So, it’s logical that should be really good at baking, right? False. I love Betty Crocker yellow cake. Yes, from the box. I also enjoy some break-and-bake cookies from time to time. Blasphemous, you think?  Well for that reason, I haven’t really learned how to be a great baker yet. My only dessert recipe on this blog so far has involved rolling peanut butter pretzel balls in my hands and sticking them in my freezer.  I also attempted a Reese’s cup pie, but it was such a disaster it wasn’t even post-worthy.  So this post may be my first official attempt and success story (for the most part) of baking from scratch.  I found this recipe for buttermilk-maple french toast muffins with cinnamon streusel and maple-buttermilk glaze, and although it seemed long, it also seemed fool-proof, so I was sold.

Restaurant Replica: “The World’s Greatest Sandwich” from The Knight House

If a restaurant claims to be serving “the world’s greatest sandwich,” you have  to order it, right? I mean how could you not test out such a bold claim of superiority? Well, I passed it up, but my boyfriend certainly couldn’t.  The results: Great indeed, he claims. Maybe the best sandwhich ever.  Can we recreate it at home? Duh, no problem.

Restaurant Replica: Chang’s Spicy Chicken [from PF Changs]

Although it’s a “suburbanite chain,” I’m not afraid to admit that I love me some P.F. Chang’s.  At all my favorite restaurants, I have a staple dish that I rarely ever stray from. Well a few weeks ago, I strayed, and I ordered Chang’s Spicy Chicken. And I’ll never go back.  I’ve spent some time perusing the web and trying to figure out the perfect combination of recipes to replicate this tasty dish, and I am pretty freaking pleased with what I came up with. So come along while I get my spicy chaaang on, hungry ones…

Slow Cooker French Onion Turkey

I don’t typically make soup from a packet, but ever since I discovered this recipe, I sure as hell always have packets of french onion soup mix in my cabinet. This is  the easiest crock pot meal I have ever made. The soup mix turns into a thick, flavorful sauce that is soo delish. Three ingredients. No prep. No hassle. Just eat.

Eggplant Parm Bites [the baked vs. fried challenge]

Last week, I found a super cute little farm/farmer’s market practically in my backyard. How I had lived in my house for a year and hadn’t found it sooner, is a mystery to me. In a fit of excitement, I started filling bags left and right with any fruits and veggies that looked delicious (and they all looked more delicious than my food store’s produce isle).  Two little baby eggplants ended up in one of those bags, and ended up sitting on my counter until one of them went bad.  Without enough to make a full eggplant parm dish, this simple little side dish of eggplant parm bites came to life!  Typically I try to make things as healthy as I can without completely ruining the taste, so I decided to do a little test with this recipe.  I baked half of the bites, and fried the other half.  Which turned out better? Keep reading…

Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper & Provolone Stuffed Balsamic Chicken

You know those nights that you’ll settle for eating whatever’s in the fridge? Well earlier this week I had one of those nights, and there are a few things that are always in my fridge: peppers, onions, cheese. Always in my freezer? Chicken and spinach. Always in my cabinet? Balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic. What a coincidence that those items combined make what I now consider one pretty damn good dinner. Want your family/friends/roomies/strangers to think you’re a fancy-shmancy-really-good-at-feeding-them-chef? This should do the trick (it worked for me!)

How to: Roast ya’ own Red Peppers!

If you haven’t noticed already, I’m not an old seasoned chef. I’m just a gal with an appetite, a nice camera, and probably too much free time. This blog should just be called “culinary adventures of a novice,” but the …