Chinese Lemon Chicken

My dear friend passed this crock-pot recipe to me. It is divine! I think crock-pots have to be one of the greatest things invented. Something about “setting it and forgetting it” is a wonderful thing!

Ingredients:
➢ 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
➢ 1/2 cup all purpose flour
➢ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
➢ 12 oz frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
➢ 6 tablespoons brown sugar
➢ 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
➢ 6 tablespoons ketchup
➢ Olive oil for browning chicken

Let’s prepare! Cut the chicken into strips or large chunks. Your choice! Mix the flour and salt together and toss each piece of chicken in the mixture. Brown the chicken in a skillet with some olive oil. You just want to brown the chicken to give it some color, not cook it. Place the chicken in the crock pot. In a separate bowl, mix together the orange juice, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and ketchup and pour over the chicken. Because I like a little kick, I added between ¼ teaspoon and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes! Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (or high for 4).

To complete the meal, I cooked some rice in my rice cooker and popped some frozen eggrolls in the oven and voila! A nice, easy dinner that is yummy and versatile.
Enjoy!

Cinnamon-Apple Pork Chops with Maple Glazed Acorn Squash

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website and not only is it delicious, but low calorie (1 pork chop, 2/3 cup apple topping, and ½ squash is only 567 calories!). This meal is simple to put together and the cinnamon-apple topping is phenomenal. The sweetness of the topping with the tartness of the apples … Mmmm! And this is a topping that you can put on other things as well – warm pound cake with ice cream for one! Use your imagination.

Ingredients – Pork Chops:
➢ 4 boneless pork chops
➢ 2 tablespoons butter
➢ 3 tablespoons brown sugar
➢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
➢ 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
➢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
➢ 4 medium tart apples, thinly sliced (we used Granny Smiths)
➢ 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Ingredients – Acorn Squash:
➢ 1 medium acorn squash, halved
➢ 1-1/2 cups water
➢ 1/4 cup maple syrup
➢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
➢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
➢ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
➢ 1/4 teaspoon salt

Let’s cook! First you need to prepare the acorn squash. Cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard the seeds and surrounding pulp. Place cut side down in baking dish with water. Bake uncovered 350F for 45 minutes. While it is cooking, combine the syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. When the squash is finished cooking, drain the water from the pan and turn squash cut side up, pour the syrup topping into the halves. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes until glaze is heated through.

Moving on to the chops… In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pork chops in 1 tablespoon melted butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until done. While they are cooking, in a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. When the chops are done, remove and place in a foil wrap to keep warm (but don’t seal – you don’t want the chops to sweat). Add the apples, pecans, brown sugar mixture and remaining butter to the pan; cook and stir until apples are tender.

Easy, right? Let's check it out.
To serve simply top the pork chops with the apples! Gently mix the maple syrup mixture into the squash. Enjoy!

Tilapia with Mango-Pineapple Chutney over Jasmine Rice

I love tilapia. I love mango. I love pineapple. I love Jasmine Rice. I guess this makes for a great recipe for myself :) Sweet, but not too sweet. Savory. Delish! Let's get started!

Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 small red onion, chopped
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
* Salt and Pepper
* 1 8-ounze can Pineapple Chunks, drained
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2-3 Tilapia filets
* Fish Seasoning: ½ teaspoon of cumin, coriander, black pepper, and salt
* 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
* Juice of one lime
* Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
* Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
* Jasmine Rice

Let’s get to work! Prepare the rice according to the package’s directions (we prefer to use a rice cooker).

Mix the seasonings together and sprinkle on both sides of the Tilapia. Place the filets onto a pan greased with some olive oil. Dot butter on the Tilapia and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until it flakes easily.

Moving on to the chutney. In a sauce pot, sauté the onion, jalapeno, and a dash of salt and pepper in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pineapple, honey, and ½ cup of water, turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. To finish off the chutney, add the mango, lime, cilantro, and parsley and stir to combine. Turn the heat to warm (or low) and let it simmer until the fish is finished.

Plate, serve, and enjoy! Let's see what it looks like.
I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and that you will give it a try! Thanks for reading.

Pico de Gallo

Yesterday, I gave you a yummy Frito Pie recipe. In my opinion, nothing is better than making your own pico de gallo. Remember, you can put this over a variety of things. Remember the Honey Lime Chicken recipe? Now you are thinking. See how versatile simple cooking can be? Let's see what you need.

Ingredients:
* 2 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped finely
* 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
* 1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
* 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped finely
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh
* ½ teaspoon sugar
* salt (to taste)

Mix all ingredients together and place in the fridge for about an hour before serving to let the flavors meld together! We substituted one seeded habanero for a jalapeno to add some heat.

Let's check it out!
Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Frito Pie

Ahhh, I love a good crock-pot meal! Something about dumping food into one and letting it cook for 8 hours makes me feel like I didn’t have to do anything to create a delicious meal! I also made a Pico de Gallo to go as a topping on this meal. I will post it tomorrow for you! Let's move on to the main course (and keep in mind, if you don't want meat, just omit)!

Ingredients
* 1 1/4 pound ground chuck
* 1/2 red onion, chopped
* 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drain liquid
* 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drain liquid
* 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drain liquid
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
* 1 and 1/2 (1.25 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix (adjust to 1 or 2 packs depending on how seasoned you want it)
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* salt to taste
* 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

Toppings:
* Pico de Gallo
* Sour Cream
* Shredded cheese
* Fritos

Before we can dump, turn on, and walk away, we need to cook the ground chuck. In a medium skillet, cook the ground chuck until browned, then drain. Now, here comes the dump part! Place the ground chuck, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chile peppers, brown sugar, garlic, salt (to taste), and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. Our crock-pot is a 3 quart and we did experience a tiny bit of overflow! I recommend placing a pan under the crock-pot to catch the spillage.

Let’s eat! Arrange the Fritos in a bowl, pour on your taco soup, then add your toppings! Let's have a look:
Mmmmm right? Well, get to the grocery to get what you need and make it! Thanks for reading!

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes

Third day in a row! What do you think about that? Today, I am cooking up a yummy Orzo dish for you to enjoy. This meal is fantastic! So filling and tons of left overs. Let's see what you need!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 pound orzo pasta
  
• 1.5 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 7 ounces Italian Sausage (you can use turkey sausage if you so choose)
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 plum tomatoes, hopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup ricotta salata cheese, crumbled (or goat cheese)

Let's get cooking! First off, I used two green peppers over the red and orange. Call me cheap, but peppers other than the green colored ones are so expensive! To start off this recipe, you need to get a nice char on the peppers. Place them on a baking sheet, turn the oven on to broil, and place the peppers in under the broiler for about 8 minutes (2 minutes per side). Then place the charred peppers in a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. What will happen is they will steam up and get all nice and soft! Under running water, peel away the charred skin from the peppers and pat dry. Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Moving along... in a saucepan (medium) over high heat, bring the chicken stock, water, and kosher salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, but firm to the bite (about 8-10 minutes).

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage and saute until cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the peppers, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest off of the orzo. Transfer to a large serving bowl. To the pasta, add the sausage mixture and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Toss well to combine all ingredients. If needed, add some of the reserved pasta water.

Plate up a nice bowl for yourself and top with the ricotta salata (or goat cheese) and sprinkle with some parsley. Enjoy!!

We really really really enjoyed this meal! We probably had 3-4 servings left over. Additionally, we did not add all of the orzo into the sausage mixture. We felt the recipe called for too much. So, I just added some tomatoes we had in the fridge to the left over orzo and had a cold pasta for lunch the next day. Remember, cooking is never perfect! Sometimes you just have to be creative and think on your toes!

Let's check this dish out!

Yumm! The cheese melted and added a nice creamy texture! What are you waiting for? You know you want to try this. Get into your kitchen and try something new.

Olivada with Veggies

As promised, I am back with another new recipe for you!

With the Holidays right around the corner, if you are like me, I have several parties to go to. And I think this is a perfect snack type dish to take to a Holiday party (and it is festive looking as well). I just love Giada! And I found this Olivada recipe one day watching her show, Everyday Italian, on the Food Network! I knew I had to make it. Let's see what you need.

Ingredients:

• 1 can medium, pitted, black olives, drained
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetables of your choice (Giada recommends carrots, cucumber, fennel, cherry tomatoes)

Let's put it all together. Place the olives, zest, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Blend until the mixture is chunky. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut up your veggies of choice. I suggest fennel as one of your veggies. I have never had it before, but it is SO yummy. Has a nice licorice taste to it! We also used carrots and cherry tomatoes fresh from our garden.

All that is left is to plate everything up and enjoy!!! Let's have a look.

Doesn't it look pretty? And pretty good to eat? I hope you try this. It is really fantastic! Get into your kitchen and try something new!