May Recipe Remake Recap

May went by shockingly fast. I am now entering June, which signifies the end of the year for me. For most June is the halfway point, but as a teacher I really feel like my year starts in September, ends in June, and is on pause for the summer. It's bittersweet to see May end and June approach. I have the best class this year and I'm sad to leave them (or have them leave me I suppose) but I'm excited that I get 2.5 months home with my son. But for now, as I finish up May, I have to say this was a busy month in the kitchen with many remakes. Let's get going!

For a long time this recipe for San Giorgio baked ziti was my all time favorite recipe. It's still my go-to recipe when I want to make a quick baked ziti. Landon is a huge fan so that makes it a sure bet in my book!

May brings Teachers Appreciation Week, so to show how much I appreciate Landon's AMAZING teachers I made a batch of these chocolate mint cake batter cookies for their luncheon. Everyone who had them seemed to enjoy them, so I am glad I made them for them.

As I'm sure you know by now we make a lot of homemade pizza around here. I pretty much put chicken on almost every pizza I make lately, so this Mexican chicken pizza made for an awesome Cinco De Mayo dinner. My salsa was way too spicy this time around but it was still delicious!

Chicken parmesan pasta has become a staple in my house. I always have bags of frozen chicken tenders on hand, so on nights where I really just don't have a desire to cook this pasta is perfect. In the time it takes for the chicken to heat up in the oven I can make the pasta, and before you know it dinner is served. Perfect.

A couples weeks ago I came home late from work and had literally no time to make dinner for Landon before he'd enter melt-down city so I decided to make a batch of these Greek yogurt pancakes. One thing I learned with these- if you're going to freeze them flash freeze them first before you throw them in a ziplock. Typically we just throw them in a bag once cooled but these all stuck together and I now have a massive block of pancake in my freezer. Oy.

Crockpot Santa Fe chicken is really a favorite of mine. It kind of reminds me of Chipotle's burrito bowls (although it's not really similar in flavor... it just has a similar feel to it). I made this a few weeks ago when I was going to be out all day and John was going to be home alone with Landon. I figured if I didn't make it home in time for dinner at least this would be there. Shockingly Landon really liked it! I was so happy.

To go with the chicken above I made cilantro lime rice which is one of my favorite side dishes. I could eat it daily. If you've never tried this one I really urge you to give it a shot!

It wouldn't be a typical month if I didn't remake several pizza recipes, so for my second pizza remake of the month I made white pizza with chicken and mushrooms. This time I used Philly cooking creme instead of the Aloutte cheese just because I had it. I can't say one was better than the other- both worked great!

For Memorial Day we had two BBQs to attend so I wanted to make a simple dish that I could bring to each that was low maintenance. I decided to go with two batches of my spinach dip. It's just the easiest recipe but always is a crowd pleaser.

Last but not least I made these pizza puffs for lunch one day last week and they were awesome. I stirred in a bit extra of the Italian seasonings and garlic powder and they came out amazing. Landon was a fan- more so of the dipping- but he still approved. I need to make these more often.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I've mentioned before that John rarely makes requests for dinner. In fact if he requests three things a year it's a lot. Yet whenever he does make a request it always involves buffalo sauce. A few weeks ago John got buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese from a food truck by his office (by the way, I'm totally jealous that he works in NYC and eats at cool food trucks, but that's a whole other story) and has been asking me to make my own version of it. Honestly the idea kind of grossed me out. I put it off for about two weeks but then John started asking when it was coming so I decided to bite the bullet. I wasn't sure how to go about it. If you look online there are hundreds of varieties. Most seem to use shredded chicken which just isn't a favorite of mine. Ultimately I came up with this recipe and I have to say I loved it. I tried something different (for me at least) by using the evaporated milk for the mac and cheese part and I'll tell you, it was a great move! This wasn't too heavy all things considered and it was really delicious. John loved it too. He asked that next time I make a breadcrumb topping like they do at the food trucks, but other than that he was happy. I think we'll definitely have this again!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:

1 large breaded chicken breast, cooked  (roughly 8 oz)

Buffalo wing sauce

1/2 lb pasta

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 can evaporated 2% milk

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp buffalo wing sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup Philadelphia Italian herb cooking cream

Green onion (optional)

Directions:

1- Cook pasta according to packaging directions. Preheat oven to 350.

2- Meanwhile, cover the chicken breast with wing sauce. Chop and set aside, keeping covered.

3- In a large pot melt the butter. Add the flour, stirring well until a paste forms. 

4- Whisk constantly, add the can of evaporated milk, garlic powder, and wing sauce. Heat for about 5 minutes. 

5- Stir in the cheddar and cooking cream. Toss in the pasta, stirring well. Transfer to an oven safe dish.

6- Top with chicken. Bake for 15 minutes.

7- Top with green onion and serve hot. 

Toddler Tuesdays: Yogurt Dip

This dip is a game changing Toddler Tuesday post in my household!

In the past week or two Landon has discovered dipping. He loves dips! Even when he refuses all food he will happily dip his meal in whatever is around. This weekend alone he ate a healthy dose of ketchup, salsa, and potato soup (yes... he used soup as a dip) by way of dipping. So with that said, I've decided to capitalize on his love of dipping and try to make some healthier dips that pack some nutritional value (you know... more than the ketchup he ate for dinner last night). 

This yogurt dip was delicious. John basically wanted to steal it from Landon, but I forced him to share with the baby. You can make as many varieties of this as you want by using different flavored yogurts with as many different dippers as you want. Overall I can see us making this several times a week for my little man!

Since I plan to make this regularly for Landon, some dippers I thought of were fruit, waffle sticks/pancakes, toast cut into strips, crackers, and graham crackers. If you have any other ideas feel free to tell me in the comments!

Source: Inspired by I Was Born To Cook

Ingredients:

4 oz Greek yogurt (I used banana)

1 heaping tsp Sunbutter (or peanut butter)

Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:
1- Stir all ingredients together. Serve cold.

Smothered Italian Chicken

Lately my cooking has been so sloppy. Not in the physical sense of a messy kitchen, more so in the sense that I meal plan and rarely stick to it, make things I didn't intend to make, and ultimately reach the end of the week with random ingredients that no longer are needed. This has resulted in more food waste than I comfortable with so the other day when I saw some random tomatoes laying around I decided to put them to good use. I had been craving breaded chicken and decided to make a "sauce" if you will for the chicken.

This came out incredible. In fact if I were making it again I'd likely double the sauce so I could mix it with the pasta as well. This had a ton of flavor and really paired nicely with the crisp chicken. Total win! I actually have all the ingredients on hand now so I just might make it again this week!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 egg
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable oil
1 roma tomato, sliced
1.5 cups baby spinach
1/3-1/2 tub Philadelphia Italian Cooking Creme
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Slice the tomato and place in a small baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake covered for 15 minutes or until soft.
3- Meanwhile, dip the chicken in egg, then bread crumbs, until coated. Heat oil and fry chicken until crisp and cooked through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
4- Add the spinach and cooking creme to the tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so, stirring well.
5- Spoon the sauce mixture over the hot chicken. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Cous Cous with Chicken & Spinach

I am a very visual person, especially when it comes to food. If I see a recipe and someone used penne pasta, I have to use penne. I know very well that rotini would work, but I must use penne. Don't even get me started with mixing various types of pasta together... it make me shake a little on the inside. It just doesn't look right! When this recipe popped up on Tina's blog I instantly added it to my menu. I knew Landon would love it and I'm a big fan of anything that uses Laughing Cow cheese. However, due to my insanity I had to find the exact same brand of cous cous that Tina used because I loved how large and perfectly spherical the pasta was. (Are you judging me yet? I don't blame you... truly I don't.)

This dish was delicious. Landon loved it and gobbled it up. The leftovers were perfect and made for easy daycare lunches. Can't beat a simple meal like this! I ended up making 1.5 times the original recipe so it'd be enough for 2 adult dinners and a baby, so I'd definitely suggest doubling the recipe if you're cooking for a family!

Source: Carrots 'N Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped spinach (frozen or fresh)
1.5 cups chunked chicken
2 tbsp milk
4 wedges of The Laughing Cow Light French Onion cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup uncooked pearl/Israeli couscous

Directions:

1- Cook pearl/Israeli couscous as instructed by directions on package in a large pot on the stove top. 

2- Add the wedges of cheese, spinach, milk, garlic powder, and chicken to the pot while it is still hot. 

3- Mix well. Serve immediately.

Texas Fudge Cake

As a true Northeastern girl I haven't ventured into the south much. I've been to Virginia, and Florida (but does that count as "the south"?), and... that might be about it! So when it comes to Texas fudge cake, I have no idea if this is authentic, or if people in Texas really eat a lot of fudge cake, but if they don't- they should. Because this recipe is good stuff! I made if for Easter (yes... and I'm just sharing it now) and loved it! I really think it's a great recipe for entertaining because it can be made a day or so ahead of time and it really holds up well. John and I sampled from this cake for the whole week after Easter and it was still moist and delicious. I like how the frosting is more of a crackly/fudgy topping and not a thick traditional frosting. It kind of reminded me of a brownie more than a cake, but a hybrid of brownie-cake can never be a bad thing!

Source: Cassie Craves

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 batch frosting (recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 metal pan.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, cocoa, and water. Bring to a boil.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
4. Pour the hot ingredients into the the dry ingredients. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir until the batter is smooth.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Immediately make the frosting and pour the frosting over the warm cake. Spread the frosting evenly and let the cake cool before serving.

Frosting

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a medium saucepan combine the butter, milk, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil.
2. Place the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Pour the hot ingredients over the powdered sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until the frosting is smooth.

Crockpot Vegetable Marinara Sauce

As a mom of a picky toddler I am constantly trying to get vegetables in my son in one way or another. He likes certain things (peas/carrots/spinach/sweet potatoes/mushrooms) but beyond that... yeah... he's not so interested right now. One thing he does eat in huge quantities though is tomato sauce. I go through a lot of sauce with him. He uses it as a dip for just about everything, eats lots of homemade pizza, and tons of pasta. So with that said I figured I'd try to make a healthier sauce that incorporates more veggies. This turned out great! What I will say though is that it does change the flavor of the sauce depending on what veggies you use so if you have a very intuitive little one at home, you might get caught. Since it's cooked in the slow cooker for hours the veggies completely turn to mush and are easy to puree into the sauce. I plan to make this many many more times in the coming months!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, peeled and sliced in half
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp butter

Directions:
1- Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2- When done, remove the onion. Use an immersion blender and puree the sauce to the desired consistency.