- Slightly Spicy Orange-Lime Glazed Chicken -

Sweet and Spicy, one of the best combos there is to be had! Created this chicken dinner for the family, and they gave it two thumbs up. I'm happy!

Slightly Spicy Orange-Lime Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

4 Chicken Breasts, pounded flat to a 1/4-1/2 an inch thick

1 c. All-Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 tsp. Pepper

2 Eggs

1/3 c. Canola Oil

For the Glaze:

1 3/4 c. Orange Juice

1/4 c. Lime juice

dash of Soy Sauce

dash of Sesame Oil

2 tsp. Cornstarch 

1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

pinch of Salt

pinch of Pepper

Directions:

On a plate, mix together the flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. In a bowl whisk up the eggs. In a large non-stick skillet pan, over a medium heat, pour in the canola oil. While you wait for it to heat up, bread the chicken, coating in the flour mixture first, then the egg, and then the flour again. Once breaded, put into the hot oil and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown, crispy, and cooked all the way through. 

Meanwhile, in a small non-stick skilled pan, over a medium heat, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Let it simmer/boil and reduce to about half. Then, in a small bowl, put 2 tsp. of cornstarch along with 2 tsp. of the orange-lime mixture and stir together. Then add to the orange-lime mixture. Turn the heat down to medium/low and let thicken till it becomes a good thick glaze for coating. Then add the crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper and mix together. Turn off the heat.

When the chicken is done cooking, add each breast, one at a time, to the glaze and coat on each side. Serve on top of white rice and enjoy! Serves 4

- Chocolate Fudge Cookies -

Yeah, so if you haven't noticed, I've been kind of obsessed with chocolate this month. Not that I'm ever not obsessed with chocolate! I think it might have something to do with the fact that my mom brought home a 1 lb bar of amazing dark chocolate from the grocery store, and I've been going wild with ideas on how to use it. I just have a problem saying "no" to the little voice in my head that says "what do you think would happen if you put chocolate in this? Let's find out!" It's true, I'm weak and helpless at the hands of chocolate. 

So, what would you say to the idea of a delicious chocolate fudge cookie? I can't stop smelling the cookie jar because all it smells like is a jar full of melted chocolate...scout's honor!

Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room tempurature
1 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. Granulated Sugar
5 oz. Dark Chocolate, melted
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/4 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 c. Cake Flour
1/4 c. Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 c. Chocolate Chips

Directions:

In an electric mixing bowl cream together butter and both sugars on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, and then vanilla. Once this is all mixed together, add the flours, cocoa, baking powder, and salt until everything is all mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough, covered, for a couple hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop the dough onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes. Makes 12-18 cookies.

Enjoy!

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies -

After piles upon piles of unsuccessful attempts at making up my own brownie recipe, I've got one that worked. Apparently you just add peanut butter and everything is fine. Well, it was a little more than that, but I just like to praise the PB. This is the brownie for all you peanut butter and chocolate lovers out there. The brownie is chewy and the peanut butter swirl sits on top in all it's delicious density and intense flavor. Certainly worth a try (and worth breaking your diet over, but you don't have to follow my bad example). =)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.

Ingredients:

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
3 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. canola oil
3/4 c. + 1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. 

In a large bowl over a saucepan of water over a medium-high heat, acting as a double boiler, melt the unsweetened chocolate and the dark chocolate together. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Then add the sugar and mix well together with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Then add the vanilla and canola oil and mix well. Sift in all the flour, salt, and baking soda, and stir all together with a wooden spoon.

In a small saucepan over a low heat, start melting the peanut butter. Take one tablespoon of the brownie batter and add to the saucepan. Whisk together the peanut butter mixture till smooth. Remove from heat.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. With a spoon, drop the peanut butter mixture in dollops all over the top of the brownie batter. Then take a knife and swirl it on the top. Put into the oven and let bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out pretty much clean.

Makes 16 brownies (or less, depending on your preferred size, go wild...come on...it suits you)

Enjoy!

- Father's Day -

Hope ya'll had an awesome father's day celebration. Ours was quiet at home after church with homemade burgers and fries for dinner and...get this... salted caramel chocolate brownies with ice cream and fudge sauce for dessert. Found this recipe on pinterest and you have to try them. Seriously good, and perfectly salted. It's chewy, chocolaty, caramely, and salty....I mean...what more can you want in a dessert? Check it out: Fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies

- Lunch -

Some Rosemary-Thyme-Garlic Focaccia bread...awesome for sandwiches! 

- Cheese Ravioli with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce -

One night a week my sister, brother-in-law, and their two kids come over for dinner. Now, my sister for most of her teen years into adulthood was and is a self-proclaimed foodie. We called her "the sandwich maiden" because she created the most delicious sandwiches for us. So naturally, when they come over, we have to plan something delicious for dinner. So I decided I was going to create a ravioli with a sun dried tomato cream sauce. It was a hit with the fam. It was so good I have to share it! 

Ravioli with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Cheese Ravioli

2 T. Butter

2 T. Flour

3 c. Heavy Cream

1 1/2 c. grated Cheddar Cheese

3/4 c. diced Sun dried Tomatoes

1/4 c. chopped Basil

1/3 c. chopped Parsley

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

Pinch of Onion Powder

Directions:

Fill stockpot with water and put over a high heat till it comes to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over a medium/low. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for two minutes to cook out the flour taste. Turn down the heat to low and slowly add 1 cup of the heavy cream, whisking constantly till thickened. Add another cup of the heavy cream and whisk, then add the last cup and whisk. Turn up the heat to medium and let sit on that heat for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. If it starts to boil and rise, turn the heat down and whisk. When the 10 minutes is up, turn heat down to low and add the grated cheddar, whisking till it is melted into the sauce. Add the diced sun dried tomatoes, the basil, and the parsley, mixing in with a wooden spoon. Add the salt and pepper. Keep on low heat, stirring occasionally. 

Meanwhile, salt the boiling pasta water and add the ravioli to the stockpot. Cook as directed on the ravioli bag (it took me about 8 minutes or so). Once cooked, strain the pasta and add back into the now empty stockpot. Take the sauce off the heat and add to the pasta, stirring all together. Serve immediately. Serves 6-8

Enjoy!

- The Dessert Club -

Recently I formed a dessert club for some of the young women at my church, and yesterday we had the first meeting, or "eating", as we call it! It was so much fun, just a bunch of ladies bringing dessert and eating it! Fattening, but we only meet once a month, so we can justify that! ;) There were amazing desserts from S'more Bars, to Lemonade Blackberry Cupcakes, to Key Lime Cheesecake, and more! We had a great time, and I heartily recommend you form a dessert club for you and your friends, it's just an awesome event! Here are some photos from the evening.

I made the Cheesecake.

- Pesto Burgers -

It's sort of the thing for people to whip out the grill and rustle up some burgers on Memorial Day. While it rained most of weekend, the sun decided to make a long awaited appearance for the holiday, and we were able to get out to the grill and eat delicious pesto burgers. That's right, I don't put barbecue sauce in my burgers, I put pesto. It really packs the patties full of basil, garlicky, olive oil goodness and keeps them nice and juicy. Plus it's super easy, and easy food is awesome for the holidays.

Pesto Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground Beef
1/4 c. Pesto
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
4 thin slices of American Cheese
4 Hamburger Buns

Directions:
Heat up the grill.

In a bowl, put the ground beef, pesto, salt, and pepper.  Mix together with hands till everything is incorporated.  Form into four round, flat patties about a half and inch high.  Take out to the grill and, on a low heat setting on the grill, grill the patties.  It took me about 10 minutes on each side or less to get them well done, but you can cook them to whatever done-ness you prefer.  When the patties are cooked all the way through, add the slices of cheese and cook on the grill for another couple of minutes until the cheese has melted over the patties.  Take the burgers off the heat and put on the buns (you can keep it a cheeseburger or add lettuce, tomato and the like, your choice).  Serve immediately. Serves 4

Enjoy!