Category: The Kitchen

Sweet and Spicy Breaded Chicken

Snow days make me want to cook!! Something about being cooped up that pushes me into the kitchen everytime. So for dinner tonite a sweet and spicy breaded baked chicken breast.

This is a no dredge recipe making it even easier! No messy dunking and breading just a crispy coating full of flavor!

Here’s what you need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp spicy bbq rub

1 Tbsp butter

1c. Panko bread crumbs

3 Tbsp sour cream

Sweet Hot honey to taste

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F

In a microwave safe bowl add butter and melt in microwave about 20 seconds. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, panko crumbs, and bbq seasoning. Stir mixture together. Set aside.

Rinse chicken and pat dry on paper towel. Add the additional one Tbsp. Of olive oil to a glass baking dish coating the bottom of the pan. Add chicken. Spread sour cream onto the chicken and top with crumbs mixture pressing it lightly onto the chicken.

Bake 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through and crumb topping is golden brown.

Drizzle with honey and serve! Enjoy!!

Spicy Sausage with Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

There’s just something about a really good pasta dish on a cool fall night that just hits the spot. I recently found a new favorite fresh pasta at a local Kroger grocery store and put it to great use in this flavorful dish!

Below is a photo of the pasta, the one shown is cheese ravioli, and the one I used in this dish was actually a spinach and ricotta ravioli of the same type. Although I believe either would taste great in this recipe, and the colored stripe in the pasta makes it pretty too!

This pasta paired with a spicy sausage and light delicious sauce really hit the spot!

Here’s what you need:

1pkg spinach and ricotta ravioli

1lb spicy sausage

1 roma tomato chopped

1 sm bunch of green onions chopped and separated into greens and whites.

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 lemon quartered

2Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp sour cream

Salt and Pepper

Cook Ravioli according to package directions, drain reserving 1/4c. of pasta water.

Heat a small amount of oil in a medium sized pan add sausage, onion whites, and garlic cook on med-high heat ubtil sausage is browned and cooked through. Add 2 Tbsp butter, sour cream and pasta water. Squeeze half of the lemon over top and add tomatoes. Stir well, and simmer until thickened.

Top ravioli with sausage mixture, plate and top with onion greens. Enjoy!!

Sometimes Pinterest wins my heart

So while on IG recently I came across a recipe that was blindingly pretty to look at. You know what I mean…it was a scroll stopper!

My interest peaked and so I clicked to see the recipe which took me to pinterest and finally to the recipe! It’s here I found a super simple dessert with lots of design Wow factor! My first thought…. “I think I can pull this off!!”

So I gave it a go! And here was I learned!

#1 my knife skills are not as good as theirs…or maybe they “cheated” and used a mandoline

#2 knowing how long is long enough to microwave apples until “pliable” is very a tricky observation to make.

And #3 Apples add water and will increase baking time!

Other than these few things it came out great! And I encourage you to search for this recipe as described above and give it a try, you can easily find it on Pinterest. The recipe is not mine and I did not request permission to publish it myself so…sorry but you’ll have to look that one up! Enjoy it though! It was very good!!

Simple Beef Stew

Doinner doesn’t havw to be difficult, with complicated ingredients, and 9000 steps to be delicious. Tonight I made a simple beef stew with dumplibgs and on this chilly drizzly day it was perfection!

Here is what you need:

1lb stew beef

2-3cup potatoes cubed

6 carrots sliced

1 medium onion chopped

1 packet McCormicks beef stew seasoning

2 Tbsp Olive oil

3c. Water

2 Tbsp flour

2c. Bisquick mix

2/3 c milk

Salt and pepper

In a large stock pot heat oil and brown beef stew meat. Season with salt and pepper add seasoning mix, flour, and water. Stir well. Add potatoes, onion, and carrots. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 1 hour.

Mix bisquick mix and milk together spoon on top of stew cover and cook 30minutes until dough puffs up and springs back when touched. Spoon into a bowl and serve hot! Enjoy!!

Spicy Asian Taco

Another twist on a classic! I love tacos, and I love Asian inspired flavors! So why not create a little flavor infusion! These tacos are quick easy, and delicious. They are topped with a fresh made quick pickle of cucumber and radishes for a little tangy sweet flavor! Great for a quick family dinner.

Here’s what you’ll need!

For pickle topping:

3-4 large radishes thinly sliced

2 small cucumbers thinly sliced

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

salt

pepper

and 1 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, coat vegetables well and set aside to “pickle” the veggies. Stir occasionally as you prepare the rest of the meal.

For spicy sour cream:

3 Tbsp sour cream

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

For Beef filling:

1 Tbsp oil

1lb lean ground beef

2 cups shredded purple cabbage

3 green onions thinly sliced

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes,

1 tsp Siracha sauce

Flour tortillas, and chopped cilantro

In a Large sauce pan over med-high heat add oil, cabbage and green onions, cook 3-4 minutes until tender. Add ground beef, garlic powder, and sugar. Cook until beef is browned and cooked through. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and siracha. Stir well and heat through.

To assemble take a tortilla and top first with the sour cream, add beef mixture and top with quick pickled veggies, and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately! Enjoy!!

Tuscan Sausage Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a pretty regular occurance at our house it’s quick easy and can serve a large group when we need it to! So I prepared a variation on traditional spaghetti with this Tuscan Sausage version that includes red peppers and just a little tuscan spicy heat! Enjoy!

1lb spicy sausage casing removed

1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced

1 md yellow onion thinly sliced

4 servings spaghetti noodles

2 tsp spicy tuscan seasoning

1 Tbsp chicken boullion

1 tbsp butter

1 can crushed stewed tomatoes

1/4c. Parmasan cheese

2 tsp. Parsley chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water seasoned with a little salt, once boiling add pasta and cook 9-10 minutes until soft. Drain pasta reserving 1c. of pasta water

While pasta is cooking, In a large sauce pan add 1Tbsp butter melt, and add onions, red peppers, and a tsp. of spicy tuscan seasoning. Cook until crisp tender 3-4min. Add sausage and cook crumble into pieces as it cooks. Once meat is cooked through add tomatoes, 1 tsp tuscan seasoning. Heat through add 3/4 c pasta water and chicken boullion. Allow to simmer until thickened.

In a large bowl combine pasta, and sauce. Toss to coat add 1/2 of the parsley and half of the parmesan cheese and stir into mixture. Add additional pasta water if too thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Coat noodles well. Plate up and add additional parmesan cheese and parsely as desired!

Rosemary and Maple Glazed Porkchops with Creamy Apple Salad

Adding a little sweetness to your meal is never as easy as it is with pork! I often pare this protein with apples, pears, and now maple flavors! The combination of sweet and savory is amazing!

This meal is a simple to prepare crowd pleaser with a little wow factor because the flavors make it seem like a complicated dish, when in fact it’s easy peasy! So prepare and serve for your family meal or as a dinner party fave this is a diverse dish with lots of flavor!

Here’s what you’ll need:

For couscous

1tsp vutter

3/4 c couscous

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary

3/4c. Water

The whites of two green onions or scallions chopped (save the greens aside chopped)

In a small sauce pan add 1 tsp butter, rosemary, and scallions. Cook until fragrant about one minute. Add couscous and 3/4c of water. Bring to a bowl cover and remove from heat set aside.

For pork chops

2 medium boneless porkchops about 1/2in. Thick

1 tsp butter

2 Tbsp sugar free maple syrup

1 Tbsp bouillon concentrate

1Tbsp white wine vinegar

3/4c.water

1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

Salt and pepper

Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel, and salt and pepper both sides. In a medium sauce pan add butter until melted. Add pork chops, cooking on medium high heat 2-3 minutes eaxh side turning once. Remove to a plate. Turn heat down slightly to medium add maple syrup, boullion concentrate, vinegar, water, and rosemary. Slowly increase heat until mixture is bubbly, reduce over heat until thickened. Add pork chops, turning to coat.

For salad

2c. Mixed Spring greens

1 med. Apple chopped (I used gala)

2 Tbsp Mayonnaise

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a medium bowl combine mayo, salt pepper and vinegar. Add greens and chopped apple toss to coat.

You’re ready to plate! Place couscous on plate and spoon sauce from pork chops over top, top with pork chop and sprinkle scallion greens on top. Serve with apple salad! Enjoy!!