Baked Chicken Nachos

I am so glad that I "borrowed" this recipe from a fellow July Knottie's blog (http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/). Jared and I love nachos, but have never made them this way before. They turned out so crunchy and cheesy AND we love cheese! The nachos were extra special tonight because Jared had dinner ready for me when I got home from work. I am so lucky!

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 green onions, sliced, white parts and tops separated
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shredded cooked, whole chicken breast (we used Perdue Short Cuts Chicken)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup salsa
1/2 (12 ounce) package tortilla chips
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican Cheese blend
1/2 large tomato, diced

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the garlic, white parts of the onions in oil until tender. Mix in shredded chicken, salt, and pepper. Toss until well coated with oil. Stir in the salsa.
3) Arrange tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips. Top with cheese blend and tomato. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
4) Remove from heat and spring with green onion tops before serving. Top with sour cream and jalapeños (optional).

Husband Rating: A
Awesome!

Wife Rating: A+
I love nachos -- one of my favorite meals!

We will definitely make these nachos again -- especially for parties!

Thanks to April for finding the recipe on www.allrecipes.com.

Grilled Sausage Patties with Peppers & Onions

This week's menu should have been titled: Quick and easy meals....This was yet another quick dinner to put together. I cannot take credit because Jared cooked most of it before I got home from work. We do not eat sausage often (for obvious health reasons), but when we do it always seems to hit the spot.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of sausage patties
1 green pepper, thinly sliced, can use red pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pita breads, cut in half
lettuce (optional)
mustard (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill patties about 3 minutes per side, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
2) Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute peppers, onions, and garlic in oil until softened.
3) Place patties in pita half with peppers and onions. Add lettuce and mustard if desired. (We added mustard).

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Jared said the sausage hit the spot!

Wife Rating: A
I love pitas so anything sandwiched into one is great! The peppers and onions had a lot of flavor.

We'll make this again...probably more in the summer time!

Crunchy Mediterranean Salad

A quick dinner was needed tonight and this was perfect! Next time, I might even cut the vegetables the night before to save more time! Jared and I love salads, and we are trying to include a salad as a meal into our diet each week. We have found another winner!

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas, drained, rinsed
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 1/3 cup small cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives (we used green olives and did not cut in half)
2 green onions, finely chopped
Romaine lettuce (we added this ingredient to the salad)
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper


Directions:
1) Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mint, and garlic. Whisk in salt and pepper, and adjust seasonings as needed.
3) If storing salad for later, do not pour dressing onto salad -- store for later.
3) combine salad and vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Recipe courtesy of Good Things Catered (THANKS!) http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/

Husband Rating: A+
Jared loved this salad! If we had more time, he probably would have eaten more! He loved how fresh the salad was overall -- and the homemade salad dressing!

Wife Rating: A+
This salad is great! A perfect salad for the summer (too bad it is almost winter). ;) I loved the dressing too! Next time I will add feta cheese!


There will be a next time for this recipe!!!!

Tropical Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, & Asparagus

Jared and I have never experimented with meatloaf. We have always prepared it with the typical seasonings and red sauce. However, today, we decided to try something new and very different. We were really pleased with this dish. The ingredients kept the meatloaf moist and full of flavor. We added garlic mashed potatoes (from a box), and Asparagus to complement the dinner.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained, divided
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 pounds ground lean turkey
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper (we left these out)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 pinch pepper

Directions:
1) In a bowl, combine egg substitute, 1/3 cup pineapple and the seasonings. Add bread crumbs; mix well. Crumble meat over mixture; mix well. Press into an 8-in.x4in.x2in loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with 1 tablespoon of pineapple. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine onions, jalapeño , honey, lime juice, pepper, and remaining pineapple. Serve with the meatloaf.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Something totally different and the meatloaf was "excellent." Like myself, he is still trying to get used to pineapple.

Wife Rating: A
The meatloaf was delicious. I did not add too much of the salsa mixture because I am trying to get used to pineapple. (I never ate pineapple until our honeymoon because I always thought I did not like it -- well, it's pretty good). The side dishes were a good choice.

We will try this dinner again in the future.

Menu: October 28 - November 3

Week 1 of my menu planning went pretty well. I was very happy that I did not have to think about dinner everyday. Spending time during the weekend to create the entire week's menu is worth it!

Sunday: Tropical Turkey Meatloaf & Veggies

Monday: Crunchy Mediterranean Salad (courtesy of Good Things Catered)

Tuesday: Grilled Sausage Patties with Peppers & Onions

Wednesday: Baked Nachos (courtesy of Cooking Diaries of A Wine Loving Soccer "Mom")

Thursday: Leftovers - a busy day with little time to cook

Friday: Broccoli Lasagna

Saturday: Boneless Short Pork Ribs, Veggies, & Potatoes

White Chocolate Macadamia Nuts Cookies

After coming home from our honeymoon in Hawaii, Jared and I were going through a Macadamia Nut phase. We decided we wanted to make these cookies since white chocolate chips are one of my favorite cookie ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3) Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
4) Cool and serve!

Servings: 4 dozen


Husband Rating: A
Jared loved them! We made them at his parent's house and left the extras with his mom....needless to say, he was sad when we did not have any at home.

Wife Rating: A
Yummy! I can't wait to make them again!

Homemade Chili

With little time to prepare dinner on Thursday, I defrosted Jared's homemade chili. We do not follow a recipe for the chili, so the following ingredients are mostly added to taste.

Ingredients:
1 pound turkey meat (or ground beef)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
cumin to taste
salt/pepper to taste
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup
Hot Sauce
Jalapeños (optional)

Directions:
1) Ground turkey meat, drain.
2) Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot or crock pot (depending on how much time you have).
3) Stir together and simmer for 1 hour.
4) Serve with shredded cheese & tortilla chips


Husband Rating: A
Jared loves making chili, especially on a cold day. He likes to change up the recipe a little bit each time.

Wife Rating: A
I love it! Jared's chili reminds me of growing up when my dad made chili -- the one dinner dish he would make. ;)

Of course we are making this again -- probably as fall ends and winter arrives.

Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto Sauce

A quick dinner if you're lucky like I was to have the Pesto Sauce already made for you (by someone else). Jared's mom made the sauce for us, and his brother and sister when we went to visit this past weekend. I decided to cook the sauce with Angel Hair pasta. We did not have enough sauce for the amount of pasta that we cooked -- we did not eye-ball it too well. However, it still had great flavor. We decided to throw together a tomato, cucumber, and onion salad with the pasta as well.

Ingredients/Directions:
I did not think this information was necessary considering the steps included boiling water, adding pasta, draining the water, and mixing the pasta with the sauce.

Husband Rating: A-
Jared enjoyed the pasta with pesto sauce, but felt that we needed more pesto.

Wife Rating: A-
I agree with the husband.

The dish was my quick and easy dinner for the week. We will definitely make the dinner again in the future, but the next time we will make our own pesto sauce.

Baja Fish Tacos & Yellow Rice

After coming back from our honeymoon in Hawaii, Jared and I decided that we would try to incorporate more fish into our diet. I am not a big fan of fish, but since it is a very healthy meal option; I am trying to eat more, and make fish dinners that I enjoy. The following recipe was great because there was a ton of flavor including that of the fish.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (1.25 ounce) package ORTEGA® Taco Seasoning Mix, divided
1 pound cod or other white fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package (12) ORTEGA® Taco Shells, warmed (I used wheat tortilla wraps)

Toppings:
Lettuce, tomato, salsa

Directions:

1) Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix in small bowl.

2) Combine fish, vegetable oil, lemon juice and remaining seasoning mix in medium bowl; pour into large skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork.

3) Fill taco shells with fish mixture. Top with tomato and sour cream mixture, lime juice and taco sauce. Add toppings.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Jared enjoyed the fish tacos, especially because it was a new dish for us. It was a great alternative to beef and chicken tacos. The yellow rice was a nice side dish as well.

Wife Rating: A
Considering I am that big into fish, I enjoyed the tacos. I thought all of the toppings and sour cream mixture created a nice flavor, plus the taco seasoning was a perfect "marinade" for the fish.

We will definitely make this dish again!

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Jared and I enjoy a lot of chicken dishes, so it was no surprise that we liked this dish too! The preparation was easy, which means so was the clean-up! Salad and steamed cauliflower were also in attendance.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish.

2) In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil leaves, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture and then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with remaining bread crumb mixture.

3) Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Recipe from: www.allrecipes.com

Husband rating: A
Jared cleaned his plate! (Although, I must admit that Jared cleans his plate just about every night -- I have not found a meal that he does not like.)


Wife Rating: A
Great chicken dinner! Very easy to make, and did not take a lot of time. If you love Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, this is a great dinner!

We will definitely make this dish again in the future!

Pumpkins, Wine, & Family

Jared and I were looking forward to this weekend for a long time. We planned to visit his family, go to our favorite pumpkin farm, and end the day at a local winery. The weather was beautiful for a fall day, with a late afternoon shower followed by a gorgeous rainbow. We came home with pumpkins, wine, and leftover food!

We thought this pumpkin scene was fitting for us newlyweds! The pumpkin farm creates a great display of pumpkin characters ranging from cartoon characters to nursery rhymes to married couples!

I could not get enough of the beautiful leaves...the colors were so vibrant. It was a cloudy day so the picture does not really show off the leaves.

On our way to Black Bear Farm Winery, we were caught in the middle of a storm. As soon as it stopped raining a beautiful rainbow crossed the sky. I have a few pictures of the rainbow, but this one really shows the colors! Plus, now you can see how beautiful the trees are at this time of the year. The wines were great, and the company...perfect.

Now we're looking forward to our next "weekend away."

Menu: October 22-27

Jared and I are hoping to create some consistency in our life considering the fact that my work schedule is different each week. Creating weekly menus will be our attempt towards normalcy.

Monday: Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken, Veggies, & Salad

Tuesday: Baja Fish Tacos & Rice

Wednesday: Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto Sauce (made by Jared's mom)

Thursday: Chili (leftovers)

Friday: Dinner with friends

Saturday: Halloween Party -- bringing a dish to share!

My baked goods have arrived!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies!

I am so excited because my baked goods arrived in the mail today! As soon as I saw Jared bring in the priority box, I knew it was them. To go along with the upcoming holidays, my secret baker sent me Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies! Of course, after taking the picture, Jared and I had to try one.

And the verdict is.....DELICIOUS!

Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup shortening
7.5 oz. pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat over to 375 degrees.
2) Cream the sugar, shortening, pumpkin, and vanilla together. Mix until light and well combined.
3) Mix the flour, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4) Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool on a rack.

Can substitute pumpkin pie filling instead of the puree.


Thanks secret baker! (Secret Bride)

First time blogger...

Well, I finally created a blog and here it is! I do not have anything food related to post yet, but I expect to post meals and their recipes by early next week. My husband Jared and I are going away for the weekend, so we will not be cooking. We'll be spending time at his parent's house, pumpkin picking, visiting wineries, and relaxing with his brother, sister, and mother. I cannot wait for a nice, long, relaxing weekend. Jared's mother is an awesome cook, so I will share any recipes from the weekend if we cook at her house.

I also want to say that I have enjoyed checking out all of the JKnottie blogs so far. Your blogs have been very inspiring and I hope to "borrow" to some of your recipes soon. I am very happy to have "met" many wonderful people during our wedding planning process.