Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken

We made this marinade for chicken for the second time last night. It was really good and not hard to prepare. The chicken is supposed to marinate for at least 6 hours so it is important to make ahead of time. Recipe is from Kalyn's Kitchen.



Marinade:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. garlic powder or minced fresh garlic (fresh is best)
2 T crumbled dried rosemary (or use 3 T minced fresh rosemary)
1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 T Spike Seasoning (optional, but recommended)
1 tsp. celery seed

This makes enough marinade for 8 chicken breasts &/or thighs.
Directions:
Mix together all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Sticky Buns

These are what I consider "cheater" cinnamon rolls because it uses frozen white bread dough, thus cutting out a lot of the work. It still takes a while to make them though, just not too much "active" prep time. They were yummy though! The picture of them rising is courtesy of Nick, and the finished product is not so good of a picture because my photographer was unavailable. Recipe from Taste of Home .






INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
* 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
* 2 (1 pound) loaves frozen white bread dough, thawed
* 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup raisins (optional)- I did not use

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar and cream. Divide evenly between two greased 9-in. square baking pans. Sprinkle with pecans; set aside.
2. On a floured surface, roll each loaf of bread dough into a 12-in. x 8-in, rectangle; brush with butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Top with raisins if desired. Roll up from a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut each roll into 12 slices; place with cut side down in prepared pans. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove from the refrigerator; cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
4. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 8-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Whoopie Pies!

I made whoopie pies for boss's day to celebrate Julie's leadership skillz. Megan said they were her favorite thing I had made so far so I may have to make these again in the future. The only thing i did differently was to make them smaller than the recipe calls for. (I think it made around 20). The recipe is from Epicurious, and the photo is courtesy of Leggo my Meggo Lewis Photography.



INGREDIENTS:
For cakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

For filling
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
11/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla


Make cakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Make filling:
Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assemble pies:
Spread a rounded tablespoon filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

Cooks' notes:
• Cakes can be made 3 days ahead and kept, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Filling can be made 4 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Tomato Soup Cupcakes

I made these last month for goodie day at work but am just now getting around to posting them. I liked them a lot, and you would never guess that the secret ingredient is tomato soup. I found the recipe on the Vanilla Garlic blog. The only thing I changed was using cinnamon cream cheese frosting instead of regular cream cheese frosting.

Tomato Soup Cupcakes
Makes about 12 cupcakes

What You'll Need...
1 (10.75) ounce can condensed tomato soup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups of sifted self-rising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
crushed walnuts (optional)

What You'll Do...
1) Set the butter and egg out and let them come to room temperature. Set the over to 325 degrees F (165 C).

2) Combine the tomato soup and baking soda in a bowl and let it stand. Use a deep bowl as the mixture will rise.

3) Cream the butter, sugar, and spices in bowl. Add the egg and mix for 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato soup and soda mixture. It will look funky, but don't worry.

4) Mix the flour and baking powder together, and then beat into the mixture until just combined.

5) Pour evenly into cupcake papers. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cupcakes will be soft. Let them cool then cover with icing. Let them sit overnight in the fridge so the flavors can meld, or just take one in each hand and start eating.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

What You'll Need...
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

What You'll Do...
1) Let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature. Beat them together until well combined.

2) Add the poweder sugar and cinnamon and then the vanilla. Add more powdered sugar if you want for desired thickness. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes.

Chicken Sausage Paella

This recipe is from Cooking Light and is one of our favorites. We made it for Big Ron's visit and Mom and Granny's visit.



4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients

* 2 3/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
* Cooking spray
* 2 ounces Spanish chorizo sausage (or a similar turkey sausage)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
* 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Combine broth and saffron in a small saucepan over low heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chorizo to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove chorizo from pan with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Add onion and pepper to pan; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add rice; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine and paprika; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in broth mixture and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in turkey, peas, and parsley; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
297 (30% from fat)
Fat:
9.8g (sat 3.3g,mono 4g,poly 1.6g)
Protein:
25.5g
Carbohydrate:
26.2g
Fiber:
3.1g

Chicken, Corn, Okra and Edamame Stew

I found this recipe which was adapted from Everyday Food on Culinary in the Country blog. It was tasty and easy to make to branch out from my two soups that I always make. I did make a couple changes by using cooking spray to eliminate the oil and adding okra. Photography courtesy of NCPilkington.



Cooking spray
1 1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 plum tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
10 ounces frozen corn kernels, thawed
10 ounces frozen shelled edamame, thawed
3/4 cup frozen okra, thawed

Heat dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Stir in onions, bell pepper, thyme, salt and pepper - cook until onion begin to brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste - cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add chicken, tomatoes, chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil - reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until chicken is completely cooked, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Pull chicken out from the pot and place on a cutting board. Stir in corn, okra, and edamame - simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken back into the pot and allow to heat through for 1 minute.

Makes about 4 servings.

Quick Tomato Vegetable Soup

This is an easy and tasty soup that I adapted from a Giada DeLaurentis recipe. I made it this weekend for Mom and Granny's visit to Wichita :)

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
* 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
* 1 medium squash, halved and sliced
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce (recommended: Newman’s Own brand)
* 2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
* 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup small pasta such as macaroni
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, zucchini, squash and garlic and saute until softened a little. Add the jar of marinara sauce, chicken broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.