Garlic Baked Shrimp

This is a really simple recipe to make garlic baked shrimp which can easily serve as an appetizer or meal.

Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp, de-veined
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
oregano
salt 
pepper
2 tbsp. white wine
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. butter

Instructions:
Mince the garlic.  In a bowl, add white wine and garlic pieces together.  Prepare shrimp by taking off shells and tails.  Add shrimp to the bowl.  Mix together, and then pour onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now, in a bowl, melt the butter.  Once melted, add breadcrumbs and oregano. I like to buy seasoned breadcrumbs so that they have extra flavor.  Mix this together.

Spoon the breadcrumb mixture over the shrimp evenly.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta

So if you've read my blog in the past, you know that I am obsessed with all things buffalo chicken!

Here is a really easy crock pot recipe for my creamy buffalo chicken pasta dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Chicken breast
2 cups penne
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 tsp. Hot sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp. Ricotta cheese
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper

Instructions:
Dice the chicken into tiny pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place this in the bottom of the crock pot, and then pour the can of soup on top. Now, add the wing sauce and hot sauce. Stir everything together.

Cook on low for five hours. Now, open up the crock pot and add the ricotta cheese and shredded cheese, and stir it all. Put the lid back on and turn off the crock pot.

Cook your penne as usual, and once you drain the water from the pasta, pour the penne right into the crock pot.

Stir, and serve. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cheesecake Squares

The name says it all. These are the best cheesecake bites you'll ever taste! The combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels is a perfect sweet and salty flavor.  Here's how to make them:

Ingredients:
For the base/crust:

1 stick of butter
4 cups pretzels
2 tbsp. Brown sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cheesecake:

2 8 oz. Packages of cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/8 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup peanut butter

For the drizzled chocolate sauce:

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chocolate chips


A few hours before you make these, take the eggs and cream cheese out and leave on counter so they get to room temp.

Now, take 4 cups of pretzels and crush until they are finely ground crumbs. Use a food processor or, if you don't have one (like me) you can put them into a large ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.  Microwave the butter until melted. In a bowl, add butter and brown sugar to pretzel crumbs, and stir until well mixed.

In a nonstick square pan, evenly spread the mixture. Press down firmly into pan, using the bottom of a cup so that it is really packed down.

Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Take out, pour the chocolate chips onto the crust, and bake for three more minutes. Take this out, spread chocolate around evenly, and let this sit on counter while you mix the cheesecake.

For the cheesecake, mix the cream cheese and brown sugar using an electric mixer. My trusty Kitchenaid worked like a charm for this. You want this to be really creamy.  I mixed it on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Now, add the eggs one at a time. Mix, and then add the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Make sure this is nicely mixed as well.

Pour this on top of the crust base, and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes. The edges should look brown, and the middle may look a bit jiggly when it is done.

Put this in the fridge for 3 hours.

For the topping, microwave the heavy cream for about 30 seconds. Add the chocolate chips into it. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then stir until it is all melted together. Pour into a plastic bag, cut one of the corners off,  and squeeze this onto the cheesecake in zig zagged lines. When done, carefully cut the cheesecake into squares.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Braised Chicken

One thing I love is making "one pot meals." Dutch ovens are great for this since they can  be used on the stovetop and in the oven. Plus, these types of meals make less of a mess and there are less dishes to wash!

Here's a great main dish, that goes well with a lot of sides - I served this chicken with rice.  This balsamic chicken has a sweet, tangy flavor. It is certainly a unique dish.

*this recipe yields two servings*

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. Tomato paste
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Honey
Salt
Pepper
3 cloves garlic
Green onions, as a topping/garnish
3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

In a pan, or in a dutch oven on the stovetop, drizzle olive oil and bring to medium heat. Now, crush the garlic and add to pan. Meanwhile, slice the chicken into thin pieces. I got about 9 sliced pieces out of the 3 breast pieces. Dash salt and pepper onto the chicken. When the garlic is sizzling, add the chicken. Cook for a few minutes, just until browned. 

Now, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Drain out the olive oil from the pan you cooked the chicken in. If you're using a dutch oven, you're going to cook the whole meal in it, so leave only the chicken pieces.

In a bowl, whisk together the tomato paste,  vinegar, honey, and chicken stock. Pour this sauce over all of the chicken. I also poured a bit of extra chicken stock into the dutch oven to add moisture. 

Cover and bake for about 20 minutes, then take it out, spoon a bit more of the sauce over it, and bake for 15 more minutes.

Serve with diced green onions on top. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter & Nutella Cookies

Anyone who has tried nutella knows it's one of the best things in life.  This recipe combines regular peanut butter cookies with nutella, which basically means they are the most perfect cookies ever created!

I just got a new Kitchenaid mixer, so I was eager to test it out.  The cookies turned out to be a great first recipe to try with the mixer.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 heaping tbsp. nutella

Instructions:

In mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla together.  Now, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix together.  When the batter is evenly mixed, add in the nutella.  Rather than mixing, just gently swirl it into the dough.  I used a butter knife so that it just swirled in.  Put the dough right into the fridge for ten minutes.  After ten minutes, take it out and form balls to make the cookies.  Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.  Enjoy!

*yields 2 dozen*

Chicken Fajitas

I've been looking for some different dinner ideas to mix things up a bit.  This was my first time making fajitas!  I adapted a recipe that I found online, and I was very happy with how these turned out.  Here is my simple recipe for a great fajita dinner.

Ingredients:

8 boneless chicken tenders, cut into thinner strips
Packet of fajita seasoning, store-bought
1 tsp. Cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
4 tbsp. Olive oil
1 onion (I used a yellow onion)
3 small peppers of your choice (I used a pablano and 2 jalapenos)
6 tortilla shells, soft
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

First, I mixed up a marinade for the chicken.  In a large ziploc bag, add the olive oil, cumin, lemon juice, and garlic.  Add the chicken pieces, making sure first that they have been cut into thin strips.  Refrigerate for about an hour.  While this is marinating, slice the peppers and onion into thin pieces.

When the chicken is done marinating, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan and bring it to medium heat.  Now, cook the chicken pieces until they are cooked through.  When the chicken is almost cooked, add the seasoning packet and 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Let this simmer for 5 more minutes. When done, I poured this into a colendar to let the extra oil rinse out. 

In a skillet pan, put the onions and peppers in with another drizzle of olive oil and saute on medium heat.  Meanwhile, heat the tortilla shells in the microwave for about 45 seconds.  

Place chicken, onions and peppers into a tortilla, sprinkle on some cheddar cheese,  and add extras such as sour cream if you'd like.  Enjoy!

Spicy Salsa Chicken

Here's a really quick dinner recipe that is also tasty!  This is my "spicy salsa chicken."

Ingredients:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (alternately, use 6 thin chicken tenders)
1 packet of taco seasoning
2/3 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. Olive oil
Dash of pepper
1/2 cup of salsa (spicy & chunky is better!)
1 cup of spanish or mexican rice

Instructions:

Put the taco seasoning into a bowl and add a dash of pepper.  Roll the chicken pieces around in it, covering them entirely.  Now, place the chicken onto a baking sheet, drizzle on the olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, take the chicken out.  Now, pour the salsa over the chicken and sprinkle the cheddar cheese over it.  Place back into the oven for about 15 more minutes so that the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through.

In the meantime, cook the rice on the stovetop.  When the rice is done, place it on a plate, and then serve the chicken on top of it.  You can also now add a bit of extra salsa or cheese on top of this, if you'd like.  Enjoy!

Here's how I served my spicy salsa chicken: