Chicken Club Quesadillas

It's Friday night and I'm sitting at my computer, staring at a blank "New Post" screen for my blog. I'm looking at the recipes I have left to blog and I just can't get my mind into a story to share about the food. Why? Well, because if I'm honest, I'm in a really good mood and I can't get my mind on anything else. You see, I love being a mom, it's the best, but I have also felt in some ways like I've been going through the motions (cooking, cleaning, feeding baby, cleaning baby, repeat cycle) without really being "me." I think it has 100% to do with lack of sleep. For the past 5 weeks I've been averaging 3-4 hours of (broken) sleep a night. However, the past 3 nights I've gotten more sleep, better sleep, longer sleep, deeper sleep... just SLEEP. And this sleep is making me feel like myself again. I've also been getting out of the house more and starting to really feel like I'm getting the hang of this mommy stuff. All of that put together has made me finally feel like myself again.

You may be reading this and thinking, "Ok, this is a cooking blog, right? Why is she babbling about her feelings?" Well... I'm babbling for a few reasons. 1- I'm tired and when I'm tired I babble. Ask John. Poor guy. 2- I am so excited to feel normal again that I feel like I need to share. 3- This is my blog and I'll write what I want ::sticks tongue out:: so deal. 3- A lot of the food I've made recently was just food, no love behind it. Food for sustenance, thus no big story behind the meal.

So with that said, I leave you with a meal I made recently. It was delicious, it was simple, and we enjoyed it. I think it's the perfect meal to make on a night when you're just not in the mood to cook... it takes no effort but you end up with a delicious dinner. Perfect.

...oh, and thanks for listening to my babble. For your reward I leave you with baby cuteness- and hey, it's food related:

Yields 1 quesadilla

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
2 flour tortillas
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, plus 2-3 tbsp sharp cheddar, divided
1/4 cup cooked chicken, diced
2 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 green onion, chopped


Directions:
1- Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray.
2- Place one flour tortilla in the pan, top with both cheeses, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and onions. Sprinkle the additional 2-3 tbsp cheddar over the toppings. Place the second tortilla over top and allow to cook until the cheese is melting and the tortilla is golden. Flip.
3- Allow the other side to brown. Slice and serve.

Cheddar Wafers

A couple weeks ago I sat down on the couch, exhausted, and proclaimed that I was "Sick of cooking and NEEDED a break!" John, being the love that he is, said "Ok babe- take a week off. No cooking, just relax." I agreed that maybe a break was needed. I had just made a few orders of cookies with royal icing for party favors, make a huge meal for my mom's birthday, meals for my beautiful new niece's birth, plus all the regular cooking for John and I. Well... let me tell you how long my break lasted. AN HOUR. Yes- 1 hour. I sat on the couch, threw my feet up, and then the "itch" hit. I immediately threw on my apron, got in the kitchen (aka my mecca) and made these cheddar wafers. Needless to say I didn't need a break... and I'm slightly addicted to mushing flour with my hands.

These cheddar wafers were fun to make. I have been trying to make more and more of John's snacks for work from scratch rather than packing him pre-made goodies. I typically have a formula for what I pack John and aside from nuts I always pack something crackery or chipy (yup...those "y"s again... sorry). These fit the bill nicely. And get inventive- if you don't have a small cookie cutter (which I didn't have) use any small circular shape. I used the top of a squeeze bottle that I use for my royal icing.
These had a subtle cheese taste. Next time I might up the seasonings, but even with the amounts listed they were great. A nice alternative to preservative laden crackers. Give it a try.

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends on Saturday the 19th at midnight. You can enter here.

Source: Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Whisk together the butter and eggs. Add the cheese. Stir well. Add the baking powder, garlic powder, peppers, salt, and flour. Mix well.
3- Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.
4- Using a small cookie cutter, cut the dough. Place on a baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper.
5- Reroll the scraps and cut until all the crackers are formed.
6- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Makes about 3 dozen wafers.

Bacon and Cheese Quiche

As I mentioned in my last post I made breakfast for John's team at work and one of the things I made was this quiche. I don't eat quiche but John said he and his whole team loved it. He got many positive comments and several really nice emails about this quiche so I guess it's worth a try! The recipe is pretty simple. I did use a deep dish pie crust thought and I don't see how it would have all fit in a regular crust because it went right up to the brim on the deep dish crust.

Ingredients:
8 ounces bacon
1 (9 inch) unbaked 9 inch pie crust (Use a deep dish pie crust)
2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (I used light cream)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained (omitted)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

Place crust in a 9 inch glass pie plate. Sprinkle bacon inside of crust. In a small bowl, combine Cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese and flour. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, cream, onion and green chiles. Add cheese mixture; stir well. Pour mixture into pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Mascarpone Macaroni and Cheese

Last week I made a recipe for baked tortellini that called for mascarpone cheese. I had never had/cooked with mascarpone before but I loved the tortellini. However, I am now left with about 2 cups of this cheese that needs to be used asap! I looked up recipes that use mascarpone and discovered this recipe for macaroni and cheese. I did make many changes to this recipe, I will note them below. I used what I had on hand to make this which resulted in changing the quantities/types of cheese. I should also say I used more macaroni and less milk/cheese and it was still SO cheesy and creamy! This was amazing and will be my go-to recipe for macaroni and cheese when entertaining. It is VERY high in fat so I wouldn't make it routinely but it was definitely a winner in our house.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni(I used 3/4 of a box of Gemelli)
7 ½ Tbs Butter, divided (I used 4 tablespoons total)
¼ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour
3 Cups milk (I used 2 1/4 of 2%)
2 ¼ Cups gruyere, shredded (I used 1 cup of sharp cheddar and 3/4 of a cup of parmesan)
½ Cup mascarpone cheese
¾ Cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
¼ Cup Parmesan Reggiano, grated
salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and add the elbow macaroni. Cook until it’s al dente.

While the macaroni is boiling, slowly melt the butter over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan.

Add the flour, stirring, cook together for a minute or so. Do not brown the mixture; you want a blonde roux. Add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring mixture to a boil and continue whisking. Lower heat and simmer for about five minutes until it thickens.

While the milk is simmering, combine 2 Tbs butter and the bread crumbs, and melt together in a separate pan. Add the Parmesan cheese. This adds another layer of flavor so it’s not one-dimensional. Just cook until the butter is melted. ( I didn't do this- I just sprinkled the panko on top in an effort to use less butter)

Remove from heat.

When the milk is ready, add the mascarpone cheese. Then add the remaining cheese and whisk it in, and as soon as until it’s melted, remove from the heat. This will happen quickly because the other cheese should be grated.

Season with salt and black pepper and whisk to combine. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce, mix it well, and when it’s nicely incorporated, spoon it out into a cooking dish.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top, using your hands to pat it down to make sure it’s nice and evenly dispersed all over the surface. The topping becomes very crunchy when it bakes. Cook for about 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and bubbly.

Crescent Chicken Pockets

Tonight's dinner was excellent!! I had some rotisserie chicken and cheddar cheese to use up so I decided to make a sandwich of sorts. It was like a lean pocket only WAY better. John and I both loved it so I would highly recommend it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken
1/2 cup of 2% cheddar cheese
4 slices of cooked, chopped, center cut bacon (Center cut bacon is less fat then regular and tastes better- can't beat it!)
1 can of reduced fat crescent rolls
2-3 tablespoons of Spicy Ranch salad dressing (I used Hidden Valley)


Directions:
1-Preheat the oven to 375.
2- Open the crescent rolls and divide into two equal pieces (4 triangles in each piece).
3- Press the seals of the rolls together to make two flat rectangles. Place one rectangle down on a greased cookie sheet.
4- In a separate bowl combine the chicken, cheese, chopped bacon, and spicy ranch. Stir to combine.
5- Evenly spread the chicken mixture over the crescents.
6- Place the second rectangle of crescent rolls over the chicken mixture.
7- Pinch edges together, rolling them up to ensure the filling stays inside.
8- Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
9- Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lighter Taco Bake

There is a recipe that is highly circulating the cooking board I frequent and has been cycling for quite some time now. It is a recipe called taco bake and involves pasta- so you know it's right up my alley! I have made this before but decided to lighten it up a bit because I remember it being VERY creamy last time (and I'm not big on overly creamy things). Even after my changes it was still nice and creamy so I don't think I would use that much cream cheese again. It was pretty tasty.

I'm going to post the original recipe with my changes in bold. I halved the recipe so if you want to use my version but make the full amounts, just double it.

Ingredients

* 1 lb ground beef (I used shredded chicken breasts since we don't eat ground meat)
* 1 packet taco seasoning (I used half since I halved the recipe)
* 15 oz. tomato sauce
* 8 oz. seashell pasta (again, half)
* 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened in microwave (I used 2.5 ounces)
* 1/2 cup sour cream (I usually a little under 1/4 cup of reduced fat)
* 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used about 1/2 cup of 2%)

Directions

1. Brown ground beef, drain. (In my version I cooked and shredded the chicken). Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
3. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.
4. Spray bottom of pan. Put pasta in bottom of pan.
5. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta.
6. Spoon ground meat mixture over this.
7. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
8. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

These biscuits were seriously unreal. It you have ever been to Red Lobster these are a copy-cat recipe for the biscuits they serve there. I halved the recipe and it made 4 big biscuits. John and I both agreed that these were amazing and I will be making these again soon.



Ingredients:
2 cups of buttermilk biscuit mix (like Bisquick or Jiffy mix)
1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
2/3 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon of garlic salt

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- Combine the biscuit mix, cheese, and garlic powder. Stir well.
3- Add the milk and stir. The mix should be thick, not sticky. You may need to use your hands to get the ingredients well combined.
4- Bake for 10 minutes of until lightly golden.
5- While baking, melt the butter in a small bowl and add the oregano and garlic salt.
6- Using a pastry brush, brush on the butter.
7- Return to the oven for about 5 minutes.

Twice baked potatoes

I was really craving twice baked potatoes for awhile now. I finally got around to making them tonight. I didn't follow any recipe in particular, just worked off of the way I like them. These were super easy to make and they were excellent.

Ingredients:
3 Russet potatoes
6 slices of center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of milk

Directions:
1- Using a fork, stab the potatoes a few times. Place them in the microwave and cook until complete.
2- Allow to cool. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes. Place the potato you remove into a bowl.
3- Add the milk, butter, and cream cheese. Beat until well combined. Add more milk if they are to thick.
4- Stir in the cheddar cheese and bacon.
5- Spoon the mixture back in to the potato shells.
6- Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until done.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't like mac and cheese?! Honestly... it is such a great comfort food and it brings me back to being a kid when it was one of two food I would eat (the other food being chicken nuggets!) When John and I first moved in together I made "mac and cheese" by throwing pasta and cheese together in the oven.... needless to say that was one of the meals we did NOT eat. After my disaster I decided to check out a cook book and see how you were really supposed to make this stuff. Now I don't know the origins of this recipe because I have been making it for about 2 years, so I am sorry I can't reference you back to the original source! Irregardless, this is so yummy and John and I have been enjoying this recipe for a long time.

Ingredients:
2 cups of dry elbows or small shells
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of milk
2 cups of cheese (I used sharp white cheddar, but in the past I have used 4 cheese blend and I really like that too)
bread crumbs

Directions:
1- Turn oven on to 350.
2- Bring the water to a boil, cook pasta, drain and set aside.
3- In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the flour and stir until it forms a thick paste.
4- Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly, until the flour is smooth in the milk.
5- Add the cheese, stir until smooth.
6- Add pasta, mix until pasta and cheese are well combined.
7- Pour into a greased baking dish. Top with a sprinkle of bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

Mexican Veggie Pasta

John and I are in the FINAL steps of buying our house and that means I need to use up some of the food I have in this house so I don't have to pack it and carry it across town. Tonight's dinner was made with that philosophy. Tonight I made a veggie and pasta dish with salsa and cheddar cheese. Sounds strange to some (namely my mother who said "gross" when I told her what I was making... thanks mom haha!) but it was GREAT! This dinner was very healthy and light. I loved the flavor of the salsa, which I was very skeptical about on pasta. This recipe can be adapted for what you have in your house as far as veggies and pasta go. John and I both really enjoyed it and there was nothing left over... which tells you something!



Ingredients:
1/2 box pasta (I used shells)
1/2 jar of salsa or more (to taste)
3/4 cup broccoli
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup red pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1- Cook and drain the pasta. Set aside.
2- Steam the veggies until they are almost done.
3- In a large skillet, combine pasta, veggies, and salsa.
4- Sprinkle cheese on top and allow to sit until the cheese melts.

Applebees Cheese Quesadillas

In high school you could find my friends and I at Applebees just about every Friday night after 10. They had 1/2 priced appetizers after 10 and honestly, to a high school kid that is quite the deal! One thing I always got was the cheese quesadillas. While I am not a huge fan of Applebees now, I still have a spot in my heart for those quesadillas. So when I stumbled across this copy cat recipe I knew I wanted to try them. Quesadillas are so easy to make. They literally come together in 10 to 15 minutes and they are so good. This recipe was awesome and tasted similar to the Applebees ones! I didn't make them with chicken because I prefer my quesadillas without chicken, but the original recipe does call for chicken so decide which way you want it! The ingredients below are for each individual quesadilla.


Ingredients:

2 slices lean bacon (sliced into 1/2" pieces)
2 flour tortillas (8" diameter)
softened butter (softened for lightly spreading on tortilla shells)
1 tablespoon pico de gallo
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I didn't measure... I just covered the pico and bacon)
picante sauce or salsa


Directions
1- Bake bacon ( in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet) in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes.
2- Once done, pat dry and chop into small pieces.
3- Spread butter lightly on one side of the flour tortilla shell.
4- Place buttered side of shell down, into a non-stick fry pan (I used my grill pan) that has been preheated on medium heat.
5- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bacon over entire shell, then add 1 tablespoon Pico de gallo, and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese over the bacon.
6- Place the second flour shell on top of fixings, buttered side up.
7- Cook for about one- two minutes just long enough to heat the inside ingredients and then carefully flip the quesadilla on the other side and finish cooking.
8- Cook until the tortilla is lightly toasted and gets golden in spots.

Pierogi Lasagna

This is the best recipe I have tried in a LONG time. When John and I first moved in together three summers ago I had very limited cooking abilities. I could make pasta, rice-a-roni, and chicken. Oh and I could defrost frozen things. One of those frozen creations that I made frequently was pierogies. I would buy the box, toss them in a pan with butter, and call it dinner. Luckily for John and I my cooking has improved a little since those days (although there is something to be said for low maintenance meals!) When I saw this recipe for pierogi lasagna I knew I needed to make it immediately. All I can say is this was incredible. John and I both loved it and I will definitely be making it again.

The recipe below is for the quantities of the original recipe, which makes 12 servings. I made 1/3 of the recipe and it still made a lot of food! My friend Maria was here during the cooking process and I had so much extra potato mixture that I fed her a heaping bowl of the mashed potatoes. All in all, a huge success. So my advice is to make this now! And I should also add, my pictures don't do this justice... check out the original recipe to get a better idea of the look of this amazing lasagna!

Ingredients:

1 lb lasagna noodles
4 lbs red or white potatoes
1/4 c sour cream (optional) (I didn't use it)
1/2 c milk
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c butter (1.5 sticks)
1 onion, sliced in rings (omitted)

Directions:
Cook the noodles. Chop potatoes into 1" cubes, place in pot of cold water (enough to cover), and allow to come to a boil. Continue boil until potatoes are soft enough to yield to a fork stab. Drain, mash, blend with a mixer. Toss in the optional sour cream and milk, mix some more. Add salt to taste. Stir in cheddar.

Melt all the butter over medium-high heat, then sautee onion until the rings no longer hold their shape.

Preheat oven to 375. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with some of the onion-butter. Lay noodles on the bottom of the dish, then spread the potatoes, a dollop at a time, along the length of each noodle. Once done, smooth the potatoes, then spread about a quarter of the onion on top, and drizzle a small amount of butter as well. Repeat this twice (or more if your dish can accommodate), then top with noodles and the remainder of the onions and butter.

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Chicken and Biscuits- YUM!

Ok, tonight's dinner was GREAT! When I got the Kraft Food and Family Fall 2008 magazine I knew I had to make this recipe for John. His favorite food is chicken pot pie. I had never had it before (I know... I live under a rock) so I wasn't sure if I would like this at all. As the sole cook in our house I don't often make things that I assume I won't like at all... but this was shockingly good. John actually kept saying things like "This is amazing" and "MMMMMM." I have to agree- it was great. Now I did make some changes and I put them in bold. After eating this the one thing I might change in the future is less sour cream in the chicken mix. BUT I don't love sour cream, if you do- keep it there! The best part of this was the biscuits. I make Bisquick drop biscuits often, but the addition of sour cream made them so moist and yummy. So make this recipe, make it soon! It's goooooood and perfect for this Fall weather!



Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat free)
3/4 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 cups cooked chopped chicken (I seasoned my chicken with garlic powder and cracked black pepper and grilled it)
1 pkg (16oz.) frozen mixed vegetables (I used sliced potatoes and sliced carrots)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup baking mix (I used Bisquick)
3 TBSP milk

Directions:
- Heat oven to 375. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8 inch square baking dish. Add chicken, vegetables, and cheese. Mix.
- Place baking mix in medium bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and milk. Stir until stiff dough forms.
- Drop by heaping spoons into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. (I cooked it on the bottom rack of the oven. The biscuits would have definitely burnt before the rest of the food cooked on a higher rack.)

Scalloped Potatoes

Tonight I made cheesy scalloped potatoes to go with barbecued ham steaks. I have always made scalloped potatoes from a box so this was my first time trying to make them from scratch. I looked through a ton of recipes and couldn't really find what I was looking for, so I kind of took a little of this and a little of that from a bunch of different recipes. The end results were very good. I love cheese and felt some of the cheese sauce dried up during cooking, but it was still very good.

Ingredients:
3 large baking potatoes
1/8 cup flour
1 cup 1% milk (or any milk you like)
1/4 of a block of Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese (You can use about 3/4 of a cup of shredded cheese if you have that)
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of black pepper

Directions:
1- Peel potatoes. Slice into thin slices.
2- Meanwhile in a saucepan, dump flour and seasonings into pan. Slowly add milk and whisk until thick (this took a while) over medium heat.
3- Pour in the cheese and stir until smooth
4- Pour the cheese mixture over the sliced potatoes in a shallow baking dish. Mix so all potatoes are evenly coated.
5- Bake at 375 until potatoes are cooked and cheese sauce is bubbly. Uncover for the last 10 minutes to brown the top. (This took about 45 minutes or so)