What's Cooking Wednesday: Chicken Tequila Pasta

Since I'm living all by my lonesome right now (except for my two furry guys, of course), I haven't felt much like cooking "normal" size dishes lately.  Call me crazy, but eating the same leftovers every meal for three days in a row just isn't cool.  And as cheap as I am sometimes, I am not going to throw food away unless I absolutely have to.

Then, when I was talking with my sweet friend SueAnn the other day, she asked if I wanted to come have dinner with her and her son.  I said sure, and asked if she might let me turn it into a "What's Cooking Wednesday" post.  She agreed, so I headed over ready to take some pictures and learn a brand new recipe.  (So thank you SueAnn for sharing!!!)

 The night I came over she decided to make Chicken Tequila Pasta.  Let me just tell you... this stuff is
in-cred-i-ble!   I wanted to eat it as slowly as possible to savor each bite and keep those flavors floating in my mouth for as long as I could.  Needless to say, I would highly recommend trying it sometime.... sooo, without further ado, here's how you make it!

Gather your ingredients.  (It may seem like a lot, but it's really not so many.)  You'll need:

-1 pound pasta (Farfalle, Penne, or Fettucine is best) cooked  (**Am I the only one who didn't know that Farfalle was bow-tie pasta?)
-3 boneless chicken breasts (You can use a roasted chicken or otherwise precooked chicken if you like.)
-1 small orange bell pepper and 1 small yellow bell pepper (or use green if you want... the orange and yellow are just "prettier")  sliced kind of thin, and then in half for bite sized pieces
-1 big fat jalapeno OR small serrano, chopped (this is optional, depending on how much "heat" you want)
-5 big cloves of garlic chopped (or depending on your taste)  (And to my dad and cooking "cheaters" like him... Yes, get the "real" garlic... not garlic salt... it makes a HUGE difference.)  ;-)
-1/4 small white or red onion, sliced
-2 full Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
-2 Tbsp. butter
-2 Tbsp. flour
-1-2 Tbsp. Tequila (you don't absolutely have to, but it gives it a little something extra.... don't worry, the alcohol cooks out)
-Juice of 1 small lime
-Drizzle of olive oil
-1 pint heavy cream (or half and half)
-1 cup+ shredded parmesan/romano/asiago (or just parmesan) cheese
-3/4 can chicken stock/broth

When you have all these ingredients together, you can get to chopping...

When everything is all ready to go, this recipe comes together really fast.  Yum, yum!

In a large saute pan over medium head, drizzle a little olive oil, and add the garlic and onion.  Cook until the garlic starts to turn brown. Then, add the chicken, butter, lime juice, cilantro and peppers.

Try to keep the ingredients close together so the flavors can mix.

Add the tequila and about half a cup of the chicken stock.  Let it reduce over medium high head, stirring occasionally (about five minutes).  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture to make it a paste.

Next, add about 3/4 of the pint of cream and about a quarter cup of the chicken stock.  When it starts to bubble, sprinkle the cheese on top and stir well.

About 1/2 teaspoon of good sea salt is also a good thing to add.

Add more cream and/or chicken stock depending on how thick or thin you like your sauce.  

After the cheese is thoroughly melted, mix well and serve over cooked pasta.

 I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this dish... SOOO delicious!!

SueAnn suggests you serve it with garlic Texas toast "since you shouldn't be counting calories or fat grams with this dish anyway... go all out with some buttery bread as well!"

It was a treat, and it was UH-mazing.  If you're looking for something different for dinner, I'd definitely give this a try sometime. 

Happy Hump Day!

What's Cooking Wednesday: Easy Chicken Enchiladas

I've been dying to try another flavor of the Philadelphia Cooking Creme since I made the Chicken and Broccoli Casserole a few weeks ago.  Since I love Mexican/Southwest style food, I decided to try the Santa Fe Blend.  I found a recipe in a magazine for Easy Chicken Enchiladas, and I thought they sounded pretty darn good, so I gave it a go.  I really liked them, so I thought it would be a good recipe to share with you guys. 

I started by gathering all my ingredients.

You'll need 1 small onion (chopped), 2 tsp. oil, 1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes (drained), 1 tub Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme (divided), 8 flour tortillas (6-inch), and 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Cook and stir the onions in hot oil in a large skillet on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Next, stir in chicken, tomatoes, 3/4 cup cooking creme, and shredded cheese.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it seam side down in a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.  

Top with the remaining cooking creme.  (I sprinkled a little extra cheese on mine, too.)

Cover and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated all the way through.

Mmmm....Mmmmm..... They were super yummy!

All in all, I thought it was pretty good for such a super quick and easy recipe.  It would be perfect for a busy evening.  Let me know if you give it a try!  :)

What's Cooking Wednesday: Peachy Cheese Danish

With Mother's Day coming up very soon, I thought I would feature a recipe that would be a good one at a Mother's Day brunch or even for a surprise breakfast in bed for special moms.  I know if I were home, I'd think about making this for my mom and sweet Mimi that lives with my family.   What is it?  Well it's Peachy Cheese Danish.  Yuuuummmmy!

Start by gathering the ingredients.  You'll need 1 tube (8 oz.) of refrigerated crescent rolls, 4 oz. of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar, a little lemon juice, and peach preserves (or a flavor of your choice).  I doubled this recipe when I did it, so that's why you'll see more of than four finished danishes... Is "danishes" a word?  I've never typed it out... Weird...)

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly flour a work surface.  Separate the dough into 4 rectangles and seal the perforations. Just pinch and squeeze and mash and whatever you have to do until it doesn't come apart anymore...

Next you can roll or just press them until they are around 7 x 3 1/2 inch rectangles.  Then, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and a little lemon juice (just enough to make the mixture creamy... not runny).  Mix it until it's nice and smooth, then spread over each rectangle.  Be careful not to get too close to the edges so you can roll it up without it squishing out all over the place.

Roll each rectangle up from one long side to the other so you end up with what looks like a 7 inch coil.  Pinch the ends to seal them, and loosely coil each piece onto a baking sheet.

 Top each one with a teaspoon or so of preserves, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a nice golden brown.

For the glaze that goes on top, combine 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 teaspoons of milk.  (Just put the milk in a tiny bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency.) 

 

 Drizzle the glaze over the tops of each, and enjoy!

Is anyone making any special treats for their mom this year?  Any special traditions for Mother's Day?

What's Cooking Wednesday: Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Happy Wednesday everyone!  It's time for another installation of "What's Cooking Wednesday."  :)

The recipe I'm sharing today isn't actually a "new" recipe for me... It's just a family favorite.  My dad found this recipe in a Farmer's Market Bulletin years ago, and we've been making it ever since.  Back home with my mom, dad, sweet Mimi, my brother, my sister, me, and whoever else wandered up for dinner, we would quadruple** the recipe!  Here, though, with just Kent and me, I follow the single recipe and we enjoy leftovers a time or two.

 Yum yum!

Now, without further ado, here's the recipe for them! 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and gather 1 pound of beef, 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs.  Combine all of those ingredients, and form about 10 or 12 meatballs.  Place them in a single layer in a dish

Cook until almost done.  Depending on how many you cook, the time will vary.  Just watch them.  When I made this exact recipe, it took about 30-40 minutes or so to reach the "almost done" phase. (Then again, my current oven is a hunk-o'-junk.)

While these are cooking, chop one medium sized green pepper and one onion.  Then combine with 1 cup ketchup, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of cider vinegar in a small to medium sized bowl.

When the meatballs are almost done, take them out and drain the grease.  (Unless you want to leave it in there for some reason...)  I use a couple of paper towels and tilt the pan to the side.  

(This was before I drained them.)

Finally, pour the sauce over the meatballs, making sure that each one gets coated, and bake until done.

  

When the meat is no longer pink, take them out and enjoy!

I love serving them over rice with a little extra sauce... yummy yummy.

It's also great with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and good old-fashioned Southern biscuits... Mmmm Mmmm 

Hope you guys give this one a try and enjoy them as much as my family does!  Let me know if you decide to try them or think you might in the future.  :)

**If you decide to double or even quadruple this recipe, be wary of doubling or quadrupling the milk... Just eyeball it.  You want it moist, but not soaking wet.  

On another note, I spent the entire day yesterday doing a major cleaning in my house, so maybe now I can focus more on my artwork.  Yay!  I can't stand to be in a messy house.  (Maybe I'm a little bit O.C.D.)  I was lucky to take a couple of breaks to talk to a sweet friend from waaaaay back on Skype, and then talk to my Daddy for a while.  :)  Kinda made my day.   Hopefully today will be just as productive, pleasant, and exhausting!

P.S.  Don't forget to enter for the free pet portrait giveaway!  Entering is as easy as leaving a comment (or two actually because you have the chance to enter twice!).  Hop on over to yesterday's post if you haven't entered.

What's Cooking Wednesday: Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I don't know about you guys, but I'm always trying to find new tasty recipes to try.  Occasionally I find myself in a recipe rut and know it's time to search for something new.  To give myself an incentive to do this more often, I'm going to try something new and share it with you on my "What's Cooking Wednesday" post, so here we go with the first one.  :)

I'd been seeing commercials for Philadelphia Cooking Cream on television, and it looked so good to me (because I LOVE cream cheese) that I decided to buy some the next time I ventured to the grocery store.

I bought the two flavors they had, but when I got home I didn't really know what to do with them.  I looked on their website and checked out the recipes.  I finally found one that looked super simple, and I actually had all the ingredients on hand.  It looked pretty yummy, so I decided to give it a go.


I tried the Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, and this is how it went down.

The finished product looks pretty yummy, right?

I pulled out all the ingredients I was going to need, which included 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces, 1 package of frozen broccoli thawed and drained, 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 tub of Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme, 1/2 cup milk, about a cup of Ritz crackers, and one tablespoon of butter.

After I cut the chicken into small pieces, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and mixed the chicken, broccoli, sharp cheddar cheese, milk, and cooking creme in a 9x13 baking dish. 

The recipe says to let it bake for 25 minutes, but since I'm a freak when it comes to cooking chicken until it is reeeeeaaaaallllly well done, I let it cook a little longer.  (I checked it at 25 minutes, and it wasn't done, so I let it cook about 10 or so more.)

While that cooks, crush the Ritz crackers and mix with the melted butter.

When the chicken is done, top with the Ritz mixture and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Mmmmm....

When the topping is nice and golden brown, take it out, let it cool, and enjoy!

I thought it was a pretty good dish all in all.  I'll definitely be making it again.   I don't know if I really liked it as a main dish, but I can certainly see bringing it to holiday gatherings or potlucks as a little something different and extra. 

Let me know if you give it a try!  :)

A Taste of Back Home

This morning I woke up wanting a taste of home... and a challenge.  What might fit the bill for this?

One of my very favorite yummy things in the whole wide world. An Old-Fashioned Burnt Caramel Cake.  (And you have to say it right... not "CAR-mel" and not "caraMEL"... it's "CARE-amul")

I didn't realize when I was younger that the Burnt Caramel cake was such a local/Southern thing.  This realization came sometime when I was in college and looking to expand my baking skills.  I've always loved to cook and bake, and I heard that this little cake was a doozie, so I wanted to give it a shot.  I searched online in every search possible and only came up with a regular caramel cake-- no burnt caramel cake.  I finally came across a couple of recipes in my hometown church's cookbook.  It just happened to have two recipes from two women who make what are pretty much LEGENDARY Burnt Caramel Cakes in my hometown.

I had to try my hand at this cake.  And so, a few years ago I began what has become an epic battle of conquering this cake. 

Now the cake part, mind you, is a cinch.  It's the icing.  Timing is absolutely everything, and more times than not, the icing has kicked my butt and I've walked away with my tail between my legs.

After many failures, I've finally had some success! (I conquered this cake probably about a year and a half ago, but until today, it had been a full year since I'd attempted it, so I was a little nervous.)  


Today, I thought I'd share the wealth and the little bit that I know about this in case someone else is searching the internet high and low like I once did. 

I must warn you... I am by NO means an expert, but with lots of patience and lots of persistence, my cake finally tastes almost exactly like the caramel cakes of the legendary baking ladies in my hometown. The appearance, on the other hand, still leaves a lot to be desired-- but I have plenty of time to perfect that in the future... Good Lord willing.  

For the cake part, I got out everything I needed (2 sticks room temperature butter, 3/4 cup Crisco, 2 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 5 eggs, 3 cups cake flour, and 1 cup milk).  Then I preheated my oven to 325 degrees and greased and floured 3 cake pans.  Next, I creamed the margarine and Crisco until smooth (I don't have a big fancy Kitchen-Aid mixer like in my dreams, so I make a hand mixer work, and it does the job).  Then I added the sugar and mixed until smooth.  When that is smooth, add one egg at a time and mix well after each.  Finally, add flour and milk alternately, followed by vanilla.

When everything is nice and mixed together, divide it among the three cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (or a tad longer if your oven is a hunk of junk like mine).  It's important not to over bake, though, because you need this cake to have moisture.

When they come out, let them cool on wire racks.

(I still don't have any in this house, so I told myself I did it the "pioneer way" and let them cool on the counter... Hey, it worked for me today...)

Can we say yum???

Once the cakes are well on their way to being cool, it's time to start the icing.  The rough and tumble, hard-headed and stubborn, hard to nail down icing....

I pulled out the whopping 3 ingredients I needed-- 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup Carnation evaporated milk, and 2 sticks of butter.  Yep, that's it.

I also went ahead and pulled out my trusty and very important black cast iron skillet.

I love this thing.

And I got my stainless steel sauce pan ready.

Now comes the tricky part (the part where having as many arms as an octopus would come in handy).  Put 3 T of the sugar into the cast iron skillet.  Put the rest of the sugar, the evaporated milk, and the butter into the saucepan and slowly start bringing it to a boil.

On another eye, start slowly browning the sugar.  (Don't worry, when I first began this battle years ago, I didn't know what exactly browning meant either.  It was the cause of at least a handful of failed attempts.  Therefore, I'll try my best to explain and give you visuals.)

The trick here is to get them both going at the same time.  Timing is everything.  You want the sugar to be fully browned and ready to pour into the sauce pan mixture just as the mixture is starting to boil.  

I always put the skillet and the sauce pan on stove eyes right beside each other so I can stir two things at once.

This photo was when I had just started heating everything.

Pretty soon your sugar will start to look like this.

This is not "browned."  It's is only the first stage.  It clumps up like this at first and turns a tan color.

You will be doing this.... stirring with both hands.

Thank Kent and his awesome photography skills for this blurry photo.  

And thank me for the ridiculous face.

This is what your sugar will look like when it's actually "browned." 

I really think a more accurate description of what you're going for is "melted."

I had to stop taking pictures for a few minutes at this point because I needed my hands plus Kent's.

When your sugar is "browned" and your mixture is just about to boil, pour the "browned" sugar into the mixture.  Keep stirring the mixture constantly.  Continue to stir the boiling mixture on medium head for 8-10 minutes.  If you drop a little  of the mixture in cold water and it forms a soft ball, then it's ready to take off the stove.

It will look something like this.

 

This next part is another thing I goofed time and time again when I first attempted to take on this cake.  Let the icing cool.  Let it cool at least 40 minutes or to the point that it's barely warm to the touch.  Then it's time to get ready to ice the cake-- the part of this epic battle that I consider a full fledged assault from the cake.

My advice is to make sure you have an apron or old clothes on for this next step because it can get messy (as in an oily, not-coming-out-of-your-clothes-without-a-fight mess).  I didn't have any photos of this final step in the process because Kent was out getting Cruiser parts, and if you ever attempt it, you'll know I had absolutely NO time to grab the camera myself.

Grab your handy dandy wooden spoon, and beat the icing until it's smooth and creamy.  Mine usually looks kind of slimy thanks to what I'm pretty sure is melted butter.  Just mix that oily buttery-ness into the icing as best you can, and when you get it as smooth as you can get it (don't beat it too long), start icing.  

Here's the thing I haven't mastered just yet.  ICE THE CAKE FAST!  If you don't do it fast enough, you really will run out of time.  The icing "hardens" fast, so keep a glass of hot water handy.  It helps to smooth out areas and gives you a little extra time, but not much.  Ice each layer fast and worry about the smoothing out later.  In between each layer, I've found I have to beat the icing just a little more. Get it done as quickly as possible though, and voila!  There's a delicious Old Fashioned Burnt Caramel cake!

Like I said, I'm definitely not up to par on the icing part, but it sure does taste good!

One last hint from what I've found through my trials and errors over the years.... It's better the next day.  I'm not sure if everything has time to meld together or if I just enjoy it more the day after the battle has been fought in the kitchen, but somehow it just tastes better the next day.  The flavor is richer, and the icing is creamier... especially if it has been wrapped in clear plastic wrap after the icing is set. 

I sure hope at least someone will find this helpful!

Happy baking!