pep it up

i have seen people make stuffed peppers before
and i've always wanted to try them...
so when i saw this healthy, meaty recipe for them
i knew i had to jump on it...

stuffed red peppers

1 lb ground turkey
1 garlic, minced
1/4 onion
1 tbsp cilantro or parsley (i used both..yum!)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
salt
3 large red bell peppers
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
olive oil spray
1/4 cup cheese

heat oven to 400 degrees.
start rice.
spray olive oil in pan.
add onion, garlic, and cilantro.
saute 2 minutes and add turkey.
season w/ salt, garlic powder, and cumin.
brown meat until cooked through.
add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup broth
mix well and simmer for 5 minutes
combine cooked rice and meat.
cut bell peppers and remove seeds.
place in baking dish and spoon mixture into peppers.
pour remaining broth into dish.
cover with aluminum foil and cook for 35 minutes.
top with shredded cheese!

german is as german does...

every christmas eve we have a huge party for lph's mom.
it's her birthday so we invite over her friends, family, etc.
this year was her 60th so we wanted to do something really special.

i decided i would attempt to make black forest cake.
there is this wonderful german cafe called the heidelburg
in indianapolis and everytime we go
she always orders a piece of this cake...
it's quite an exquisite cake if i do say so myself
and when i found the recipe i felt extremely nervous.
luckily we told no one i was trying to do it
so if i failed we could go get a bakery cake!

luckily, it turned out WONDERFUL!!!
i'm not going to lie, i tooted my own horn all night.
it was moist, full of flavor, and looked beautiful....
and did i mention mouth-watering delicious????

so without further ado, here is the recipe i stole from cooks.com

black forest cake

2 cups + 2 tbsp of flour
3/4 cup of cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
3 cups whipping cream
1 can cherry pie filling
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar

combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. stir until mixed.
add shortening, eggs, milk, and vanilla.
beat 3 minutes at low speed.

grease two (2) nine (9) inch cake pans and add wax paper.
pour batter into pans.
bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
let cool.
then split cakes horizontally.
crumble one of the top layers into a separate bowl.

beat whipping cream until foamy.
gradually add powdered sugar.
beat until it resembles whip cream.

place one bottom cake layer on a platter.
use some of the whip cream on the cake.
then use some of the pie filling.
place the other bottom cake layer on top and repeat.
then place the top layer on the cake.

frost sides of cake and top layer.
reserve some for dallops on top of cake for decoration.
pat cake crumbs generously along the sides of the cake.
put dallops on top of cake.
fill top with rest of the pie filling.
chill well (i chilled it overnight).

p.s. i had beautiful pictures of it, but our friend nick
didn't leave them for me....hmmm...

ricotta? my god-da!

tonight i needed something simple, but delicious. so i went to my old friend, rachael ray. she pulled through with "past, wintergreens, and walnuts!"

pasta with winter greens and walnuts
from rachael ray, feb 2009

ingredients
7.5 oz of ricotta cheese
6 tbsp EVOO
lemon juice
whole wheat pasta
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
spinach galore, chopped
salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

directions
heat water and salt.
when boiling add pasta.

mix ricotta cheese and 4tbsp olive oil.
splash some lemon juice in.
mix it up and let it be.

heat remaining olive oil in skillet.
mix in garlic and red pepper flakes.
brown them.
add in spinach and stir frequently.

when pasta is complete, drain.
once spinach is wilted, mix it with the noodles.
then mix in cheese.
mix in nuts.
eat!!

THE PARTHENON!!!

alright, ladies and gentlemen...
this is a recipe i'm holding near and dear to my heart.
when i was in college at the greatest university in the world,
my dear friends and i would order this massively delicious
pizza from avers with breadsticks and loganberry drink.
just thinking of it makes my mouth salivate.
so clearly i decided that i needed to try and make this pizza.
i needed to recreate it since they don't deliver to indy....why not???

so...here it is....homemade parthenon...

THE PARTHENON

for the sauce
3/4 cup olive oil
garlic
flour
Parmesan cheese
red pepper flakes
parsley
oregano
salt

for the pizza
a pizza crust
green pepper
tomato
black olives
feta
purple onion

how to make
i used store bought thin crust pizza crust, but if you're really
martha stewart-ish make your own!

in a food processor combine all of the ingredients for the sauce.
as for everything other than the olive oil, do it to taste.
how much oregano do you like?
are you a huge fan of Parmesan? i don't know!
i personally put in a lot of parm, a decent amount of red pepper,
about 2 tsp of flour (to thicken it up), 1 1/2 tsp of garlic,
and lots of shakes of everything else.
but those are my tastebuds.
after you've added all of the ingredients,
mix well in a food processor and let sit while you chop everything else.

chop 1 whole tomato.
dice 1 1/2 cups of black olives (or however much you want
to cover the pizza)
dice 1/2 a green pepper
dice a bit of onion.

spread all of the sauce over the crust.
spread all of the chopping ingredients over the crust.
spread lots of feta cheese over the pizza.
and bake!!

then, pop in some felicity, get your best friends together, and enjoy...
(i wish!)

too bad someone can't figure out how to recreate loganberry...

yes, we need a little christmas!

from shbug7's etsy site, here.

ok, i know it's a little early to start thinking about christmas.
we haven't even got through my favorite holiday yet.
however, i want this little apron.
how cute is it!
i think i deserve it.
also, we just decided we're hosting LPH's family christmas
at our apartment this year again.
which means a full day in the kitchen with christmas music
and yummy smells...
so the apron could get quite the work out!

p.s. the 20 year old me is freaked out how exciting it is
to me to spend a whole day in the kitchen.

zucchini beanie chickini

i made this awhile ago, but have saved the recipe to post.
it is super easy, and delicious.

zucchini beanie chickini

ingredients
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 skinless chicken breasts
2 zucchinis, sliced
1 can white beans, drained
1 tomato chopped
black pepper

directions
prepare skillet for cooking and place over medium heat.
cook garlic until browned.
add chicken and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side.
stir zucchini and white beans into skillet.
cover and cook 5 minutes
scatter tomato over dish, cover and cook 2 minutes.
season with black pepper and serve!

MOM! MEATLOAF!

seriously, this is my mom's meatloaf :)
i think it's the best ever.

sometimes i like to sit on my couch, like will ferrell in wedding crashers

and scream, "mom!!!! the meatloaf!!"

followed by maybe one of my favorite lines from that movie,

"what is she doing in there? i never know what she's doing!"
and, like my dad's daughter that i am,
it makes the best day after sandwiches!

sounds delightful with some mashed potatoes with this nasty weather...

my mom's meatloaf!

ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
3/4 cup milk
1 envelope onion soup mix

directions
beat egg slightly. stir in well with soup mix, bread crumbs and milk.
let stand about 5 minutes; with a fork, thoroughly mix in the beef.
pack firmly into a loaf form and place into a foil lined baking pan.
bake in preheated 400 degree oven about 45 minutes.

PUMPkin up your evening

october is by far my favorite month.
i love fall. i love hoodies. i love halloween.
i love colorful leaves.
i love pumpkin spice lattes.
i love pumpkin seeds.
i love the beginning of the holiday season.
i love boots boots boots.
i love scares. i love toboggans.
i love it all!

and as you see, a lot of this includes pumpkin.
so it comes as no surprise that i LOVE these...

Pumpkin Cupcakes
(adapted from David Leite via Smitten Kitchen via That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles)

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.

2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.

3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Divide the batter equally between the cups. (They’ll be about ¾ full.) Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

serve with some hot apple cider for that perfect fall feeling :)

sorry, i suck

i have a backlog of recipes to share...but tonight,
i am going to write down what we had for dinner
b/c it was so awesome...

greek fish with salad

ingredients
filets of fish (i used a tilapia, salmon, and some shrimp)
lettuce
olives
tomato
red vinegar
onion
lemon juice
salt
pepper
greek seasonings

directions
take the fish/shrimp/yumminess.
pour red vinegar over it.
salt, pepper, and greak season.
spray a grill and throw them on there!

while cooking, chop up some lettuce.
take a tomato and cut it into cubes.
add olives (to your preference...i put in a lot)
add onion
add red vinegar
salt and pepper
pour over the lettuce.

take the fish off the grill
and serve w/ some pinot grigio :)

needless to say...i'm happy :)

ay carumba!

last night i decided to try to really kick our taste buds ass...and in a really simple way! i saw this recipe through my rachel ray emails and my stomach growled just looking at it. you see, i'm one of those people who could literally eat mexican every night. i never get sick of the taste/ingredients/etc. i find it best paired with a nice raspberry margarita, but last night we settled for some beer :) but i highly recommend this soup. super easy to make!

i added tomatos to the recipe b/c LPH loves tomatos (and through dating him, i've grown quite fond myself). i also only put in 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth b/c i wanted it thicker.

Mexican chicken lime soup

ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion chopped

6 cloves of garlic

6 skinless boneless chicken breast

2 canned chipotles in adobe sauce, chopped

2 tbsp adobe sauce

1/2 cup cilantro

juice of 2 limes

tomato, chopped

5 cups chicken broth

salt/pepper

avocado

can of corn (optional)

can of black beans (optional)

any other delicious ingredient you think would sound good!

directions

heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium/high heat.

add onions and garlic, and cook til onion is brown.

increase heat to high and add the chicken.

cook until golden brown.

stir in chipotles and adobe sauce.

stir in chicken broth.

add tomatos.

simmer for 15 minutes.

stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper.

serve w/ avocado (i put it in the soup) and tortillas!

yummo!

Everybody, welcome chrissy for her first contribution to the cooking blog!

chrissy is sharing with us a wonderful chicken recipe (which is making my mouth water just reading it!)
chrissy made this for her friends the other night
and when she shared just the name on twitter,
christina tweeted back, "email it to jenny!"
and we're glad to have it (and hopefully eat it quite soon!)
in chrissy's words, this was delicious!!! and easy to make!
her friends were quite impressed!


almond dusted chicken breast

ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped, unblanced almonds
1/4 cup minced shallots or green onions
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup strawberry jam
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (try the 18 year-old or strawberry)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
10 ounces fresh spinach, cooked just until tender
non-stick cooking spray
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish, if desired


directions
Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray;
add oil and heat over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in almonds.
Place chicken in skillet;
saute four minutes on each side, turning once.
Remove from pan and keep warm.
Reduce heat to low;
add green onions to skillet and saute one minute.
Add chicken broth, strawberry jam, vinegar and rosemary;
simmer until slightly thickened, about two to three minutes.
Place spinach on heated serving platter;
top with chicken breasts and pour sauce over top.
If desired, sprinkle finely chopped parsley over chicken.

tennessee girl cooks louisana food? you betcha!

As you can see, the idea of this blog has kind of turned into a cooking blog. But it's more than that! It's a cooking blog run by all of my friends from home (and we all now live all over the states...) so this is a way since we can't eat dinner together, we can share our recipes that work and are delicious with each other!

so today's recipe comes to us from the deep south...from ms. pretty bride herself! enjoy!!

louisana chicken pasta

found here

When I first saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. After all, it had our favorite menu items (peppers, onions, and cayenne pepper) but was in a pasta dish. Normally these ingrediants are used in all of our mexican dishes, most casseroles, hell, we even put them in our burgers. Anyway, the only problem was that I am trying to make the commitment to being healthy, without going to extremes, because that would never work. I edited Annie's recipe a little to make it a little more healthy. Instead of using 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1 cup half and half. I used 1-1/2 cups fat free half and half. To thicken the consistency a little from the absence of whipping cream I used 1-1/2 Tbsp of cornstarch mixed with 1-1/2 Tbsp of water (instead of 1 tsp of each). I also only used olive oil (no butter). And of course whole wheat pasta. I prepared garlic bread by broiling whole grain bread sprayed with spray butter, garlic salt and parmeson cheese. So, while it still isn't the healthiest of meals, it was great to have a creamy pasta dish without all the fat. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning

For the pasta:
8 oz. bowtie pasta - whole wheat
Kosher salt

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups fat free half-and-half

1-1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1-1/2 tbsp. water

Directions:
To cook the chicken, heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkle of Cajun seasoning. Add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and heat the olive oil until the butter has melted. Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan. Mix in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the fat free half-and-half the pan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add to the skillet once the cream mixture has started to bubble. Allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and chicken pieces to the pan. Stir well to combine and cook at medium-low heat just until the chicken is warmed through. Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning if necessary to suit your tastes. Serve immediately and top with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired.

So we asked a genuine Louisana boy what he thought of it, Mr. Kyle Hornsby, and he said, "you give that girl a high five, wooooohooo!!!"

a little taste of home...

saint lynn (my mom) makes 2 breakfasts i LOVE.
the first is her french toast.
i literally can't enjoy french toast unless it's from her.
the second is her zucchini muffins...

lph brought home this rather large zucchini the other day
i took one look and said, "i'm making muffins!!"

and i must say....they taste just like mom's.

saint lynn's zucchini muffins

ingredients
1 cup salad oil (or substitute with applesauce for less calories)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsps vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon

directions
in a large boil, mix oil, eggs, sugar, and zucchini. after mixed, add flour.
stir in soda and cinnamon.
pour into muffin liners (or 2 greased loaf pans if you want bread)
bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

slather on some butter and enjoy some of lynn's special TLC...

mac n cheese spice

i've had quite the domesticated day...
which means i still have 2 more posts for this week!
go me!
especially since i feel this week will be super busy
and i will rely on easy meals...
oh well. i fed bubs and me well today!

first up, my favorite...spicy mac n cheese!!
i am a big fan of any type of mac n cheese
but when i saw this zesty looking one, i knew i had to try it...

it's pretty easy cheesy to make...
AND SOOOOOO GOOOD!!
if you're not a fan of hot foods, you won't like this.
but anyone else...it has so much flavor
that i wanted seconds, thirds, and fourths...
i stopped myself and saved some to split for our lunches tomorrow
but this will be made again. and again....

ingredients
4 cups cooked macaroni noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 tomato
1 small can green chiles
1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
salt
pepper

directions
boil pasta

in a large pan, heat olive oil and add garlic, onion, pepper, and tomato.
(yes, i 1/2 love this recipe cause i get to utilize the food processor so much)
stir in green chiles.
take off the heat and add to the pasta.
mix in the cheese.
s & p to taste.

DELICIOUS!!!!

modified from here.
i took out some of the fattening stuff
and it tastes delightful still.
however if you want butter and cream added,
pioneer woman says, "go for it!"
and i took out the jalapeno.
i once had a bad experience from cooking w/ jalapeno.
my face looked like angelina jolie
and my hands felt like they were stuck inside a bonfire.
i also took out corn...but i added tomato!

a golden girls favorite!

thank you for being a friend cheesecake

lph and i have a teeny obsession with one particular show.

the golden girls.

please stop you're laughing at us, and go check out WE.

trust me, you'll remember how funny those four broads are.

phew.

and if you remember, these four ladies loved to talk and talk in their kitchen.

the normal fifth party in that equation was...CHEESECAKE!!

so you can imagine my excitement when my dear love holly mae

found a wonderful cheesecake recipe (bakerella!)

and made a cake that made my mouth water through an emailed picture!

holly said the cheesecake turned out wonderful!!

ingredients

2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup butter melted

4 (8 0z) pkgs cream cheese (yum!)

1.5 cups sugar

3 tbsp flour

5 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon juice

directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar.

Stir in melted butter until moistened.

Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches tall).

Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

To make the cheesecake filling, cream the sugar, cream cheese and flour

with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.

On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

On low, add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla just until combined.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325.

Make sure to take it out of the oven before the center looks done.

It will be kind of wobbly and it will move in one piece.

The center will look more shiny than the edges.

That's ok because it will continue to cook a little while it's in the pan.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely to room temperature.

Hope that it doesn't crack.

Go ahead and separate the cheesecake from the sides of the pan

by running a knife around the edges.

I also opened and reclosed the springform pan to help separate.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

That's right. It's best to make this the day before

because it needs plenty of time to chill and firm up.

Strawberry Topping

1 container of strawberries
3 tablespoons of sugar

put in food processor until blended

are you calling me a shrimp?

so mi amigas and i are going to start using this blog as a foodie blog
for us to share our recipes with each other across the united states
and, of course, share funny stories about making the food.

our first recipe is called shrimp paesano.
little background on the recipe.
spina's husband, matthew, used to live in san antonio.
there he found this wonderful dish.
one day he asked his lovely (then) fiance to make it for him.
she whipped it up and said, "oh this is yummy!"
she sent it to me, and i finally found enough time to try it out.

first, the preparation of this meal is so fun.
you get to be a tid bit (lots) messy!
while trying to prepare mine, my phone rang
and i tried to carry on a convo with flour all over me.
needless to say, i created more of a mess than usual...
once you get the shrimp covered in the flour, the rest goes super fast.
and then, before you know, voila!
a wonderful dinner ready for you to devour!

i must say LPH and i really enjoyed this meal.
i inhaled my dish.
so big thanks to matt for having such good taste!

ingredients
1 lb shrimp
1 pint light cream (half & half)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups (i used more...) flour
1 large egg yolk
1 stick of butter
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup parsley leaves
chives
1/4 cup lemon juice

preparation
preheat oven to 400 degrees.

pour most of the cream over the shrimp and let marinate for 30 minutes or more.
save some of the cream for the sauce.

drain shrimp and roll the shrimp in flour.
saute in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
flip shrimp over.
remove shrimp and put in baking dish.
flip oven to broil and broil shrimp for 5 minutes.

sauce:
mix 1/2 stick of butter, egg yolk, and lemon juice.
heat over medium.
remove from heat.
mix in the other 1/2 stick of butter, garlic, and stir until sauce thickens
add some of the half and half.
add chives and parsley.

you can serve this with pasta or not. we went for the not and it was wonderful!