Monday, July 30, 2012

SRC: Grilled Chicken & Pasta with Basil-Cream Sauce

My assignment for this month was Melanie of Fabulously Fun Food. I was really excited to discover she was living in Tennessee - yay! Tennessee! And I can't help but love that she is also a biologist :) The nerd is me just swoons! I also adore that she has a favorites section for herself and her husband - my husband can never remember which foods he loved a lot by just the titles, so maybe I need to do that for him!

Anyways... typically I choose an opposite course with what I chose last month. Last month I did burgers, so I really should've gone with a sweet or breakfast dish. But when I saw Grilled Chicken & Pasta with Basil-Cream Sauce, it was an instantaneous decision. I am a pasta-holic. I love anything and everything pasta. I knew my husband would be game as long as it had a meat in the dish.

I went in thinking this dish would be great and man alive, it blew me away. Blew me away! This is definitely one of the very best recipes I have ever made and will be made a lot more. My husband, like I said up there, is game when there is meat involved. He kind of gets annoyed when I make meatless dishes - he actually went back just for the pasta and sauce (didn't even get more grilled chicken!). So needless to say, this was a huge hit in my house! I also noticed this was on Melanie's husband's favorites list.


Saturday, July 28, 2012

Giant Gooey Cinnamon Biscuits

I have been eyeing these for such a long time and I utilized Pinterest to make my menu last week. I was reminded of these and immediately put them on the menu. I really liked the size of them. This recipe makes 4 biscuits. I couldn't find cinnamon chips though :( So I used toffee bits. I really want to get the cinnamon chips and make this recipe the right way!

(Print)
What you need:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (I had to use toffee bits)
  • 3/4 cup confectioners sugar (I will use closer to 1 1/2 cups next time)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.

Pour 1 1/2 cup cream and mix until combined.

On a lightly floured surface, pat into a long, thick rectangle.

Slice into 8 squares and place half the squares into a greased 8x8-inch pan.

Sprinkle half cinnamon chips over top, then cover with second square. Top with remaining squares.

Bake at 425* for 14 to 16 minutes.
Once out of the oven, spread the chips on top.
Whisk together 1/2 cup heavy cream with sugar and vanilla. Drizzle on top. 
Recipe from The Kitchn

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Bites

This has all the classic elements of a bombtastic dish: bacon, jalapeno, chicken. I mean when you have those 3 ingredients, you are going to have a great dinner. No surprise here, we loved these little bites. We ate them as a main dish, but I think they would be suited better as an appetizer. The wheels are already turning for making this into a full-sized chicken breast recipe!



Thursday, July 26, 2012

Giveaway Announcement + Printable Freebie

So Fantastical Sharing is about to turn TWO.

I cannot believe that I've been food blogging for two years now. It's been a lot of fun to start out with just sharing with my friends to being able to reach a larger audience. I'm always so happy to hear that one of the recipes I've shared is made all the time or that I've helped someone find a million new blogs to find recipes on :) As long as I'm sharing and making people happy, I'm happy.

So to celebrate...
...and keeping with the theme of two...
I'm throwing a giveaway {tackling Rafflecopter for the first time} starting August 2nd. Oh hai! I love that my 2nd birthday is on August 2nd. Yay for numbers! :)

Anyways, there will be TWO winners and each winner will get TWO prizes: a super-secret handmade gift and TWO cookbooks.

You can grab the button to spread the word! I'm having issues with text boxes lately, so to grab - just highlight, copy, and paste in rich text or compose mode. If you have any problems, shoot me an email and I'll try and help as much as possible.


Fantastical Sharing of Recipes



Also because my husband is out in the field for two weeks, I'm bored to tears and began messing around with blank pages for no reason at all and came up with this little diddy for menu planning. Just follow the link to download and be able to print [hopefully] - this should fit a standard 8x11-inch page. {HERE}

Sorry for the lack of recipe today! There will be one tomorrow. Swearsies!

~Tasty Thursday #70~



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Next week I will be combining my Tasty Thursday post with my Thursday recipe - I'm actually not sure why I haven't done that yet. I think a little blonde is showing...

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Frozen Yogurt Berries

Every weekday, Nick comes home from work and raids the fridge and cupboards for something to snack on before dinner. I was in a particularly "surprise-y" mood and knew he would probably be late coming home and exhausted, having just driven for 13 hours straight the day before. I had a little trouble with the blueberries, so I ended up putting them in my pop molds for a little blueberry yogurt popsicles snack. Our store also didn't have blackberries which I would have loved to have done.



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

3-2-1 Funfetti Cake Batter Dip

I had just gotten home after being in Tennessee for 3 weeks, so I needed something that was a quick snack to make for the kids while I unloaded groceries and cleaned up a bit. There are some pluses to this...1) It's 3 ingredients. 2) It's literally just put it in a bowl, stir, and serve. 3) It uses yogurt - so it can't be too unhealthy. It was really good - the kids and I gobbled it up. We doubled the recipe. I saved a little to let my husband try. He's not big on sweets, so I didn't expect him to be as enthusiastic as the kids and I were, but I was totally off there. I am pretty sure he ate just as much as we did in 20 minutes in about 2 1/2 :)

I also posted this recipe for the debut of a new linky I am cohosting on my "personal" blog called The Pinterest Project. It's all about making/doing the things we pin. Feel free to head on over and link up. Even if you didn't post specifically for today - you could go find an old blog post that you did something from Pinterest, add the linky button, and add it to the party :) It doesn't have to be a recipe - it could be a craft with your kids, DIY living room decor, a nail design, an outfit, etc.'



Monday, July 23, 2012

Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

Okay...I'm sure by now y'all get that my husband officially turned me into a Philly cheesesteak lover. {See: Quesadillas, Stuffed Peppers, Omelets} Before marrying him, I wouldn't get near this stuff with a 10-ft pole. After making some things with egg rolls, I really enjoy doing this method and trying out new combinations of fillings. I assumed this would be the same ole, same ole, but something about frying things just makes them taste extraordinary!

I found the original recipe on Mandy's Recipe Box, but I try to avoid Walmart (she used a frozen cheesesteak product) and so, I combined my go-to cheesesteak method with the egg roll part and came up with my own version.



Saturday, July 21, 2012

Mom's Goulash

This recipe is my mom's - she made it all the time when I was a kid and it has always been one of my very favorite meals. Plus it's pretty durn frugal :)



Thursday, July 19, 2012

Pasta Primavera

This was similar to the Paula Deen recipe I had made from her Southern Bible cookbook. But this one uses dill and red bell pepper and has no zucchini, broccoli, cream cheese, or basil. It's a slight difference :)



~Tasty Thursday #69~

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Southern Style Collards

My first attempt at collards and my second time eating them. Not too shabby if you ask me. I think they were a little heavy on the red pepper flakes, but that is an easy fix :)

We paired this with the chicken waffle sandwiches because Jeff Mauro did that on the episode where he made the waffle sandwiches :)


(Print)
What you need:
  • 8 oz. bacon, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 to 2 bunches collard greens
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes*
  • Salt and pepper
Directions:

Cook bacon in a skillet; place on a paper towel lined plate and set aside. 
Drain some of the grease, if necessary.

Add red bell to skillet and saute for 5 to 7 minutes.

Add collards, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Toss with bacon and serve.
*I am going to use half this amount next time. The bite of the vinegar with the spice of the flakes was a bit much.
Recipe from Jeff Mauro

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Avocado Fries with Garlic Lime Chili Aioli

I made these to go with my Secret Recipe Club recipe in June. While my other family members weren't a huge fan, I liked them. They were great with the burgers and I loved the aioli. 

(Print)
What you need:
For the fries:
  • 3 avocados, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 cups flour
  • vegetable oil
For the aioli:
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 tsp. chili seasoning
Directions:


Mix together the aioli ingredients in a small bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Pour about 1/4 to 1/2-inch of oil into a large skillet. Heat to about 350*.
Combine eggs, milk, and Worcestershire sauce in a shallow bowl.

Combine flour, pepper, and chili powder in a shallow dish.

Dredge avocado slices in eggs and then flour. Repeat and then place in skillet. Don't overcrowd!
 
 

Fry until golden brown on each side and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve with chilled aioli.


Recipe from The Daily Dish

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Monday, July 16, 2012

Easy Crockpot Pork Carnitas

These carnitas are easily one of the best recipes I've ever made in my crockpot. They were juicy, tender, and full of flavor. I also stepped out of my comfort zone with tortillas and tried a new kind - which were amazing. We had friends over that night for dinner and they got high praise from them too :)



Saturday, July 14, 2012

Homemade Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix

So...I was in a jam this week when I went to grab some Italian dressing mix packets at our local Walmart and there weren't any. At all. I got home thinking I may have had one in the cabinet...nope. Google is my best friend! I found this recipe on Food.com and will be using it again :) I had all the spices on hand. I already use ranch dressing mix from "scratch" most of the time, so this will definitely come in handy. We used it for this recipe that is our go-to recipe for pot roasts or in our case this particular time, deer roast!

(Print)

What you need:
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp. onion powder
  • 2 tbsp. oregano
  • 1 tbsp. parsley
  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. celery leaves
Directions:
  1. Mix together and store in an airtight container.
  2. Mix 2 tbsp. of this mix with 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp. water, and 1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil. to make the dressing.
  3. Yields 8 tbsp. I believe (don't quote me on this one) that one packet is 4 tbsp.

Recipe from Food.com

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Friday, July 13, 2012

Cowboy Cookies

Back in 2010, I posted the cute little gift idea for this one - cookie mix in a jar. I FINALLY got around to actually making the cookies.

(Print)
What you need:
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup M&Ms
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:

Because this recipe is for mason jars (minus the wet ingredients), I threw all of this into my mixer. However, if you want to do it the traditional way: Cream together butter with sugars. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, M&Ms, and pecans.







Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350* for 10 to 12 minutes. Let set for 2 minutes and remove to a wire rack.

Makes around 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe from Bakerella

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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Tennessee Pride Country Chili

My friend, Heidi, gave us a bunch of deer meat a few weeks ago. We have been putting deer in everything, so in this recipe I subbed the ground beef with ground deer. Also, we're in lame New York and do not get Tennessee Pride sausage, so I just used Jimmy Dean and cried about how much I missed Tennessee. Although right now, I'm in Tennessee on vacation, but at the time I made it...I was in NY. But I digress...this was one of the very best chilis I've had. We used the spicy sausage to add more heat. It was great!