D ~ Week 40~ Grilled Chicken Wraps - Spicy Style

My mom is a genius! I just have to say it. Honestly, the woman amazes me! She adapted this recipe and its fan-freaking-tastick!! 

Ingredients:
1/2 c mayo (light if you want)
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced (or its more common cousin - regular yellow onion chopped finely)
1 small bell pepper - your choice of color, seeded & finely chopped
2 T sour cream or yogurt (light if that's your game)
1 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder 
1/4 - 1/2 t chipotle powder
shredded cheese - your choice!
lime juice
chicken, cooked & cubed
tortillas

optional deliciousness
1/2 c chopped jicama
1 avacado

Cook the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, feel free to start the next part.

Mix mayo, (quick shout out to my mom's old tupperware measuring cups!)

cilantro, fancy or ghetto onions, bell pepper, sour cream or yogurt, cumin, chili, chipotle, and lime juice together in a bowl.

Aw... my puppy was waiting patiently for a smidge of green pepper! 

Caught a glimpse of her mid-snatch!

Once the chicken is cooked, add it to the mayo concoction. 

Mix well.

Now comes the fun part, put the desired amount of cheese on a tortilla... 

and then put some yummy chicken deliciousness.

Roll up the tortilla so its completely sealed.

Then put in a warm skillet and cook for about 2 minutes - or until its crisp. Flip it and cook until other side is also crisp!

And the best part... slap that bad boy on a plate and enjoy! Be careful the insides are probably hot! :)

D ~ Week 39 ~ Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: http://www.squidoo.com/recipe-chocolate-chip-cookies

Ingredients: 
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1/2 c sugar
1 c light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1c Crisco (don't substitute margarine)
2 eggs
2 1/2 c flour
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more if you like)


Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.
Add the first 6 ingredients - baking soda, salt, sugars, vanilla and crisco - to mixing bowl & mix well. 

Add eggs and mix until even consistency.

Add flour and mix well.

Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly dispersed.

Roll into balls and place evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or so. 

Decision: 
Too salty and greasy. I would cut the shortening and salt down a bit and that should help!

D ~ Week 38 ~ Oven-fried Chicken Parmesan

Source: Quick, Thrifty Cooking circa 1985

So... as I was searching this week for recipes I would eat that are less expensive to make I stumbled across this jewel of a cookbook! 

Ingredients:
1 c soft fresh bread crumbs (I cheated and used plain panko)
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
2 T minced parsley
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 t salt (I would use 1/4 t to 1/2 t)
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 c (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 chicken (2 1/2 - 3 pounds) cut into serving pieces.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter (or spray with cooking spray) a 13x9 in baking dish. 

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Melt butter in separate shallow dish. (Sorry for the picture... I was having issues with my camera!)

Dip the chicken into the butter. Roll or drop chicken into bread crumb mix, make sure to cover both sides. Then but coated chickens in the baking dish. (I flipped mine about half way through... just for kicks and giggles.)

Pour remaining butter over the chicken and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. 

Decision Time:
Truth: LOVED IT!!!  Plus it made my apartment smell soo fantastic I had to restrain myself from eating all of them! :)

D ~ Week 37 ~ Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumplings via The Pioneer Woman - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/


Ingredients:
2 granny smith apples
1 can mountain dew (can substitute ginger ale or lemon-lime soda)
2 sticks butter
2 pkg crescent rolls
11/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
cinnamon

Peel, core and slice apples into 8 wedges.

Say howdy to my mom & my puppy (Hi Duc!)! I'm not good at coring apples so I petitioned my mommy to do that part! ;) She's great!

Unroll the crescent rolls & place apple wedge on fat end. Roll up crescent roll around the apple.

Place apples wrapped in crescents in a greased 13x9 pan.

Melt butter in a bowl.

Add sugar and vanilla. Mix just until combined.

Pour butter mixture over crescent rolls. Then pour soda over as well.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Then bake in 350 oven for 40 minutes.

And then take them out when they are golden.

Decision time: too much butter!! They were way too buttery & soggy on the bottom. It was like sllimey - oh gross. So ... next time I would cut the butter in half... and use fresh soda! 

D ~ Week 36 ~ Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug

http://lacreativitedelafille.blogspot.com/2012/06/single-serving-deep-dish-chocolate-chip.html

{single serving} deep dish chocolate chip cookie

recipe from//no. 2 pencil

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tbsp. white sugar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

3 drops of vanilla

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. flour

2 tbsp. chocolate chips 

In a bowl, ix together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg yolk. 

Add in the flour and salt. 

Mix until combined.

Add in the chocolate chips. 

Put the dough into a small microwaveable bowl, ramekin, or coffee cup.

Microwave for 40-60 seconds or until the cookie looks done. 

Best served warm… Enjoy!

Did you know you can use a water bottle to separate the yolk from the white? Saw it on youtube and had to try! 

It was okay, not my favorite... I'm partial to traditional cookies.

C :: week 21 :: Whole Wheat Rolls

These are the most amazing rolls ever!!!  Reminded me of the ones that the school cafeteria used to make!  So good.
My recipe is from my BHG Cookbook:

Dinner Rolls

3 1/4 - 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (but to make the whole wheat ones substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the all-purpose flour that is stirred in at the end of step 1)
1 pkg active dry yeast (or 1 tablespoon)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
1 beaten egg

1. Stir together 1 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast.  In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and 3/4 teaspoon salt just until warm (120*F-130*F) and butter almost melts; add to flour mixture along with egg.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.  Beat on high speed 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much remaining flour as you can.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total).  Shape dough into a ball.  Place in a greased bowl; turn once.  Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).

3.  Punch dough down.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough in half.  Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, depending on what shape of roll you want to make lightly grease a 13x9 pan.  

4.  For dinner rolls, shape the dough into 24 balls.  Place balls in prepared baking pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).

5.  Bake in a 375* F oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until rolls sound hollow when lightly tapped.  Immediately remove from pan.  Cool on wire racks.

C :: Week 20 :: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

So I've been in search for a new cookie recipe for a while.  A recipe that uses ingredients that I have and doesn't require anything funky.  And I found this one from Love Veggies and Yoga.  The first time I made them they were a little too sweet.  So I've adjusted the ingredients to my liking, and now they taste so good!

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp
1 c brown sugar
- beat these until light and fluffy

1/3 cup peanut butter
- add & mix in

1 egg + 1 yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons - 1 tablespoon of milk (it helps the batter not to be too dry)
- stir in

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned whole oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
- stir in slowly.  Yum!

1 cup chocolate chips
optional: 1/2 cup peanut butter chips, pecans
- add chocolate chips.  If you are feeling crazy, chopped pecans are good too!!!

Yum!!!  Keep the recipe!!!  It's so good! 

C :: Week 19 :: Breakfast Casserole

Okay.   So at church a few weeks ago, we made some ships out of bread, and there was a lot of bread that was left over, so I needed to figure out some way to make a breakfast casserole with the bread.  But all the recipes I've found had some weird ingredients that I couldn't get down here.  So I kind of made up my own recipe.

These are the leftover boats I used to make my breakfast casserole.

 All chopped up and in a greased pan.

 Then I cooked up some red onions, bacon, and zucchini.

I cooked up some broccoli too.

 2 cups of milk

 8 eggs

 garlic powder, salt, and pepper

All whisked together

 Pour over the casserole and add some shredded cheese.

 Then let it soak over night.  And in the morning bake it for 30-45 minutes at 350*.

And voila!  Yummy breakfast casserole!