Grandma's Spaghetti

Do you have one of those dishes that just screams comfort food and instantly takes you back to your childhood with the very first bite you take? I have several, but one of my all time favorites, hands down, is my Grandma's spaghetti. Out of all of the spaghetti dishes I have ever had, restaurants included, my Grandma's is by far the best I have ever tasted. Unfortunately, my Grams passed this last February, but luckily, I was privy to get copies of some of her best recipes before it was too late and they were gone with her. In my opinion, passing down food recipes from generation to generation is a great way to share a bit of family history with children and keep those earlier generations forever alive in spirit. This one's for you Grams- miss you SO much!!!

I have to say that my Grandma was one of those fabulous old-school cooks who never measured anything, so sometimes her recipes are hard to follow, to say the least. I am not sure there were every actually real recipes for some of her best dishes, but rather she wrote down her best guesses of what she did and how much she put into it. The spaghetti recipe that follows is more than likely a prime example of that...

I had tried to make my Grandma's spaghetti before, but regardless of how I tried, it never turned out like hers. It was still tasty, just not to the same caliber of her beloved pasta that was a family favorite for all. I think I may have figured out the missing link this time around, and I somehow suspect that I had a little extra, albeit unseen, help in the kitchen this past weekend when I attempted this dish again. Thanks Grams- it finally worked, and I truly felt like I was at your table all over again.

Here is what you will need to make this delicious spaghetti:

-1/4 cup Crisco
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 clove garlic, finely diced
-1 lb ground beef
-1 tsp. garlic salt
-2 tsp. parsley flakes
-1 bay leaf
-1 6-oz can tomato paste
-1 8-oz can tomato sauce
-12 oz water
-2 cups/1 lb canned tomatoes
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. oregano
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-Dash of basil
-1 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package instructions and drained

In a large skillet, melt Crisco. (This, I believe, is the key to this recipe. Before, I always just used butter, assuming it could not make that much of a difference. Maybe I am wrong, but this time I actually used Crisco, and the recipe was the closest to Grams' that it has ever been by a long shot!) Add onion and diced garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef and garlic salt; brown. This might sound weird, but that combination of hamburger browning with onion is a delightful smell to me. I would imagine it is the olfactory sensation equivalent of a comfort food to me, but who knows? Either way, I love it when that aroma is floating through our house in the early evening hours.

Next, stir in the tomato paste, the tomato sauce, and the water, using the empty tomato paste can to measure out your 12 ounces of water. Mix well to incorporate. Stir in all of the remaining spices and herbs-parsley, salt, oregano, pepper, basil, and bay leaf.

Cover your skillet and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for another half hour or so, or until your sauce has reached its desired consistency.

Spoon meat sauce over your prepared spaghetti and enjoy! We like to sprinkle our sauce with some good ol' Parmesan cheese, or in the kids' case, A LOTof Parmesan cheese. I was so happy that they all enjoyed this sauce as much as I did as a child. They all ate their ENTIRE meals- Jordan even asked for seconds and Brooklyn quite literally tried to drink the sauce out of her bowl. Another success! Little did they know they were scarfing down all kinds of nutritional goodness from the tomatoes! 

As a note, I have to admit that I, myself, rarely measure things while I am cooking, but have made a more honest attempt to do so since I am now trying to share my recipes with you all. This recipe was followed to a tee, and I would suggest you do the same, even if you're more like me and Grams and just eyeball everything and go more on taste than measuring spoons. The results for this recipe will definitely be more tasty if you follow her guidelines. 

You might be wondering if it is really worth it to make spaghetti sauce from scratch... From a convenience standpoint, the jarred sauces are really pretty decent when you need a quick fix. But if you have the time, I assure you, it is well worth it to make this sauce rather than rely on what Prego or Ragu whipped up in their factory assembly line. You can even make it a few days ahead of time and store it in the fridge, then just reheat it on your busy weeknight for a delicious and comforting end to a long work day.

Best. Spaghetti. Ever. 

Blackberry Cream Cheese Muffins

So, I have kind of been on a muffin kick lately. I have just been really bored with breakfast, overall, and so I have been making various kinds of muffins to kind of switch up the routine a bit. I saw this recipe for Blackberry Cream Cheese Muffins on Picky Palate's site awhile back (you can find it here, along with other mouth-watering recipes: http://picky-palate.com/2007/12/03/blackberry-cream-cheese-muffins-with/) and have been really excited to try it, and now with berries being more in season, I finally got around to making it. It didn't disappoint!

Blackberries are one of my favorite fruits, but it seems like they often take backseat to strawberries and blueberries. I don't see why! They are fantastic! Really, I love the whole berry family, in general, especially when it comes to breakfast and dessert recipes, but blackberries take the cake in my book, followed closely by blueberries and raspberries.

So yummy...

Here is what you will need to make these scrumptious muffins: 

For the berries:

-15 oz fresh blackberries

-2 tbsp Truvia (or Splenda will work, too, just trying to lower calories!)

For the wet ingredients:
-1 stick softened butter
-1 8 oz package reduced-fat cream cheese
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup Truvia
-Zest of one lemon
-Juice of 1/2 a lemon
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the dry ingredients:
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/4 tsp. salt

For mixing:
-1/3 cup buttermilk

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 24 muffin tins and set aside. You can also use 6 jumbo muffin tins, as the original recipe suggests.

Mix together the blackberries and the Truvia in a medium bowl and set aside.

Next, in a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, Truvia, and sugar using a hand mixer. Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until well-combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients until well-combined.

Start adding the dry ingredient mix slowly into the cream cheese mixture, alternating batches of dry ingredients with splashes of buttermilk, until all of the dry ingredients and buttermilk have been well-incorporated into the cream cheese mixture and everything is well-combined and relatively smooth.

Divide the batter evenly amongst your prepared muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full. After each muffin tin has batter, press two to three blackberries into the top of each unbaked muffin. Bake for 15-18 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

If you wish, you can add a sweet berry drizzle on top of each muffin by reserving the blackberry juice that was left in the bowl the berries were mixed in. Simply add about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp. milk to the remaining juice and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the top of each cooled muffin.

You can use all regular sugar if you would like in place of the Truvia, I was simply attempting to make this recipe more calorie-friendly. Same goes with the cream cheese and the buttermilk, which were both low-fat substitutions from the regular recipe. It's all your choice, but either way the result will be great!

These muffins are really moist and delicious. The cream cheese really adds a smooth element to the overall consistency and compliments the blackberries well, while the lemon adds a subtle splash of brightness. These have been a perfect start to my morning two days in a row now, and I enjoy them so much I will probably have them again tomorrow!

Fresh flowers from my man and fresh muffins = Great day! 

Oh, and by the way, the kids liked them, too! Even with a "strange, new fruit" inside! Brooklyn couldn't get enough of the blackberries! This time, the purple mess on her face is NOT Crayola! Score 1 for the parents in our house!!!

Yay for blackberries! 



Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

Stir fry is one of my "innocent" guilty pleasures... I absolutely love a good stir fry for dinner, and I usually have a hard time not going back for a second heaping serving of it. Luckily, it's relatively healthy by comparison since it's chock full of vegetables, brown rice, and lean meat; hence where the "innocent" part of the guilty pleasure comes into factor. Normally, stir fry is Chris's specialty, but last night I decided to try my hand at it again so that we could eat dinner a little earlier. Here is a sneak peek of the goodness that is to come....



We had a TON of already chopped veggies left from Aly's birthday party on Sunday, so the preparation for this meal was half over before I even started. Technically, we still had other leftovers to use up from the party, but I didn't think my taste buds would tolerate another round with hamburgers and pasta salad, delicious as they may be. Needless to say, I was eager for an opportunity to still use up some of the leftovers without having to suffer through the same meal for a third night in a row. Two consecutive nights is usually my leftover limit, especially when I packed it for lunch, too.  The leftovers from this stir fry, however, I was excited to have to take and eat for my lunch today. It was just as delicious the second time around!
Anyways, as much as I am sure you love hearing about my eating habits and a play-by-play breakdown of our meals, I will get to the main point of this post.  :) Here is a list of what you will need to make this delicious and nutritious dinner:

For the sauce:
-5 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
-2 tbsp. peanut butter
-2 tbsp. rice vinegar
-2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
-1 tbsp. honey
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-1 tsp. ground ginger

For the vegetables:
-Olive oil for the pan
-1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion, depending on how much you like onion
-1 cup chopped carrots
-1/2 cup chopped celery
-1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
-1/2 cup broccoli florets
-1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped into smaller pieces
-Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
-Salt/pepper for seasoning

-1 lb chicken, cooked however you like and then shredded
-Brown rice, for serving

Cook and shred your chicken, then set it aside. (I like to poach mine-it keeps it really moist and is great for shredding.)

If you are not lucky enough to have vegetables already chopped up like I was yesterday, the next step I would recommend is getting your vegetables prepped. Cut them however you like them, but it is nice, not only for cooking times but also for appearance, to keep them somewhat the same shape and size as much as possible. As a side note, the amounts of vegetables for this recipe is easily adaptable and interchangeable. There is no magic number that makes the recipe either a success or a failure, so pick whichever vegetables are your favorites and use them in whatever proportions you would like. :)

Once they are chopped and ready to go, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add your olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is heated, add your onions to the pan. I like to cook these slightly longer than the rest of the vegetables to make sure that there is no harsh bite to them. After about five minutes or so, add in your carrots. Let these cook with the onion for about three more minutes, then add in the celery, the red bell pepper, and the water chestnuts. Squeeze lemon juice over all of the vegetables in the pan, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute all of these vegetables together for another three minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, start preparing your rice according to the package instructions and then make your sauce. This sauce was one of those infamous kitchen experimentations that ended up turning out really well! I actually really enjoyed the sauce a lot- much better than the bottled stuff! Whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, honey, garlic powder and ground ginger. Taste the sauce before you add it- this is another part that can be easily adapted to your particular tastes. Add more chili sauce if you like more heat, more honey if you like more sweet. (Check that rhyme out! Ha!)

Once the sauce is to your liking, add it to the pan with the vegetables, along with the shredded chicken and broccoli. Stir well to evenly coat the vegetables and the meat. At this point, you will want to reduce your heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid. This will help steam the broccoli since it did not have as long of a cooking time as the other veggies. If you like mushy broccoli, you can add it in when you add the celery, bell pepper, and water chestnuts. I like the broccoli to still have a bite to it, which is why I add it at the end. Once the broccoli has turned bright green, you know it is done.

Remove from the heat and spoon over prepared brown rice. Enjoy!

One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it offers so many different layers of flavor. You have savory, sweet, and spicy, and each one shines through in every single bite. As already mentioned before, this stir fry makes for great leftovers! It is also very nutritious and well-balanced, so indulge a little and have seconds. Stir fry is one of my guilty pleasures, and might I add one of the few that are savory in nature rather than sweet, what are some of yours???

Best Banana Bread EVER

Well, we survived our weekend! Neither the Rapture that was supposed to take place nor our hectic and crazy schedule brought us down, so we are back to offer you another tasty recipe to tickle your taste buds! :) As mentioned on Friday, every time my brother comes into town he demands fresh banana bread, and I, being the sucker that I am, always acquiesce to his demands. Okay, so I am not really a sucker or a pushover as much as I am an all-around fan of this banana bread. It really is delicious, moist, and just ridiculously good. Plus, it's easy and somewhat quick, so that is a double bonus in our house, where finding time for intricate, time-consuming tasks is hard to come by.

This recipe, originally from The Neely's on Food Network, I have ever so simply termed "Best Banana Bread Ever." Childlike? Maybe. But regardless, it is fitting. You will agree once you have made and tasted this bread. The Neely's named their original recipe "Momma Callie's Banana Nut Bread," which I like, but since I don't know Momma Callie, I decided to go with "Best Banana Bread Ever." Pretty original, I know. You can find their inspiring recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/momma-callies-banana-nut-bread-with-honey-butter-recipe/index.html

This bread is perfect for breakfast, snacks, or whenever else you deem appropriate. It can almost actually double as a dessert, depending on your particular palate.  Here is what you will need to make this heaven-sent banana bread:

-2 sticks butter, at room temperature (plus more for loaf pans)
-3 cups flour (plus more for loaf pans)
-2 tsp. baking soda
-2 tsp. baking powder
-2 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-6 large, ripe bananas
-2 cups sugar
-4 large eggs
-1 cup sour cream
-2 tsp. vanilla
-1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3" bread loaf pans.

Mix your dry ingredients together first: whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. The cinnamon, which is one of the adaptations I made to the original recipe, really is subtle in the end result, but adds so much depth at the same time. It really brings a different level of flavor to the recipe.

Next, in a small bowl, mash your ripe bananas until there are only a few chunks of banana remaining and the rest is the consistency of baby food. Sounds appetizing... can you tell we have a small child at home? A potato masher works great for this step.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Stir in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat until just combined. Slowly add in your dry ingredients, again mixing until just combined. Stir in your miniature chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, then place the pans onto a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Do not use color to judge whether or not this bread is done. It browns up a lot during the baking process, but up until the very end will still be very gooey in the middle. Great with a chocolate chip cookie, not so much with banana bread.

You can make your own variation of this bread by adding in your favorite kind of nuts (as the original recipe calls for), different flavors of baking chips (I want to try butterscotch, cinnamon, and peanut butter in the future, but definitely not at the same time), or dried fruit. Be creative and don't be scared to mess up. Sometimes the greatest failures in the kitchen can yield the best future recipes and creations.

This bread is great served with honey butter, which is exactly what the name infers. Mix a few tablespoons of honey into some butter and spread over the bread, preferably warm. Keep it covered tightly and it will be good for a few days, if it lasts that long. I promise you, you will love this bread! You will most likely have relatives who make demands similar to my brother after they have tried it, so share with caution. Hope you enjoy as much as we do! :)

This banana bread is so moist it practically falls apart! 

On-the-Go Weekend

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but for whatever reason, this week has felt like an eternity to me. I am so glad that the weekend is finally upon us. We have a very busy couple of days in store for us this weekend! We start tomorrow off with a pancake breakfast to celebrate the end of soccer season for Jordan, followed by his last soccer game at 11. Hopefully, the weather cooperates enough for them to be able to play. They have been rained/snowed out this year for almost as many games as they have actually been able to play!

Here Jordan is with dad at one of his very 1st soccer games 

Next, we have Aly's end-of-the-year dance recital at 1, and have to have her dressed, with hair and makeup done, and at the auditorium by 12:30. That one should be a bit of a time crunch, but I am sure we will make it happen! She is so excited for her first recital- I know she is going to do great!

Aly all ready for her pictures in her dance costume

Once the dance recital is over, we have a lot of preparation to get ready for Aly's 4th birthday party on Sunday. She has requested Rainbow Chip cupcakes with Rainbow Chip frosting, so although I do not get to experiment much or add anything to them like I normally do, I am really excited about: 1) the simplicity, and 2) the DELICIOUSNESS. Rainbow Chip is pretty hard to beat; the flavor is just fantastic the way it is, and I have yet to meet a child who does not love it. We are also going to barbecue for her party, so we will have pasta salad and frog eye salad to make and get ready, plus breakfast muffins so that we have an easy, ready-to-eat breakfast on Sunday morning. That will help give us more time to get everything ready for her party at 1. 

My brother is coming down for the festivities, and as always, he has requested our favorite banana bread to be made fresh for him, as well as a loaf to take back home. He is so spoiled... The recipe originally came from The Neely's on Food Network, and by far, this recipe is the best banana bread I have ever had. I am thinking I want to try it as muffins this go around and see how the mix will do in that particular form. I also found a recipe on Picky Palate's blog for blackberry cream cheese muffins that I am dying to try, so it will be interesting to see which flavor we decide to go with for Sunday's breakfast. Maybe I will try to make both.... Guess we will have to see how much time we end up with! Sometimes I get a little over-ambitious and it kicks my butt in the long run... Oops.

More than likely, you can look forward to a muffin post of some sort on Monday. Things will be entirely too busy this weekend with all of our activities and family being here for me to even try to get something written here, so on that note, have a wonderful weekend! Hopefully Mother Nature will decide it's actually Spring and will give us some sunshine and warmer weather instead of continuing to inundate us with rain, snow, and everything in between... Here's hoping for sun!

Brooklyn is ready for the sun, too! 

Double Mint Crunch Brownies with Mint Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate and mint is one of those classic flavor combinations that is just delicious in so many ways. I have been enjoying playing around a lot lately with candy and cookies in my baking, creating treats inside of treats really. This recipe is a very tasty example of that experimentation, and I am excited to share it with you. It is so easy and so quick, but the results are incredible. Plus, the kids loved them, so that is always a bonus! We will get to the recipe in a minute... Just keep this picture in your mind as you read on....



For those of you who may not be familiar with Laramie, Wyoming (some of you may have never even heard of it-shocking, I know), we are a small town in southeastern Wyoming that is home to the University of Wyoming. We are geographically situated in the Laramie Valley, which lies in between two beautiful mountain ranges, the Snowy Range and the Laramie Range. The weather here is less than desirable at times, mostly because of the wind tunnel effect created from our valley location. All in all, however, it is a great place to live. The people are friendly and we live in a very safe place to raise our children. There is a certain peace of mind that comes with residing here. One of the downfalls, however, for an avid baker like myself, as well as the numerous athletes who come to play at War Memorial Stadium and find themselves unable to breathe, is the ALTITUDE.  We are talking 7,200 feet above sea level people! It's a whole different game here in so many ways...

If any of you live in high altitude areas or have before, you may know the challenges it presents for baking. I can't even count the times I have made something that either exploded all over the oven or sank so far in the middle that there was practically a crater in it. Most baking recipes from scratch have to be altered by adjusting various combinations of things, to include leavening agents, flour, and more. I have yet to find a "standard adjustment" that is a magic solution to all of these high altitude baking dilemmas, and with working full-time and being a mom, my free time just does not allow for me to spend hours in the kitchen playing the role of  a mad scientist, trying to adjust all my recipes to find the right measurements, sheerly just to be able to say that I made something from scratch. Sorry. Maybe someday, but definitely not anytime soon!

Having said that, this recipe starts from a brownie mix in a box. I like to use Pillsbury because I know that that particular mix stands up well to being tampered with and having multitudes of delectable ingredients added to it. More than likely though, if you have a particular brownie mix you turn to every time you need your chocolate fix, by all means, try it with that!

Here is what you will need for this recipe:

-1 box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury Fudgy Brownie Mix
-1/4 cup water (as called for on box)
-2 eggs ( as called for on box)
-1/2 cup milk (INSTEAD of oil called for on box)
-12 Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies
-22 Andes Creme de Menthe Candies
-1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1 to 2 tsp. mint extract, depending on your "minty-ness" preference
-1 tsp. vanilla extract

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13" cake pan with two pieces of overlapping foil, leaving excess foil on each end to create handles. This makes for easy removal after the brownies have baked and cooled. Spray the foil WELL with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the brownies according to the instructions on the box, again remembering to substitute milk for the oil originally called for on the box. I find that this makes an even more moist brownie. Set this mix aside.

Take 8 of the Thin Mint Cookies and break them into medium-sized pieces. You don't want to leave them whole, but you don't want them crushed, either, for this step. These cookies are what provide the "crunch" in these Double Mint Crunch Brownies.  :)

Next, take 10 of the Andes Mints and chop them into chip-sized pieces. You can actually buy the Andes Baking Chips if you want- they are on the baking aisle with the rest of the chocolate chips, but they are way more expensive and, what can I say? I am stingy!

After you have broken the cookies and chopped the mints, stir them into the prepared brownie mix. Stir well to make sure the pieces are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Every bite deserves a little extra love, right?

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool at room temperature.

Meanwhile, make your frosting. I LOVE cream cheese frosting! In fact, it is the basis of almost EVERY frosting I use for cupcakes, cakes, and brownies. It is so adaptable and there are so many things you can do with it, and I just love how the savory aspect of the cream cheese compliments the sweetness of the frosting so well. It cuts nicely through the flavors so that the frosting is never overwhelmingly sweet or rich.

Using a hand mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and both extracts in a large bowl. The deeper the bowl the better- otherwise, you might end up with a kitchen looking like Laramie in the middle of a snow storm, with white powder all over the place. Mix these ingredients together until they are smooth and creamy, then spread the frosting over the cooled brownies.

Take the remaining Thin Mint Cookies and crush them up, just like you would graham crackers if you were making a crust. Sprinkle the crushed cookies all over the top of the mint cream cheese frosting. Cut each of the remaining Andes Mints in half diagonally, and set aside. (If you can resist these brownies long enough, about a half hour to an hour in the freezer will make cutting these gooey, delicious treats much easier.)

Using the foil handles, remove the brownies from the pan and cut into 24 bars. Top each bar with one half of the mints. Refrigerate for best results and keep stored in an airtight container. Enjoy! And if you're feeling generous, maybe even share a few with coworkers, family, or friends, but only if they are deserving of this chocolaty, minty goodness! Just throw your cut brownies onto a platter, sprinkle some more cookie crumbs over them, and let them speak for themselves! More than likely, whoever is lucky enough to be eating them will think you spent WAY more time on them than you actually did, but it can be our little secret. I won't tell if you won't! :)



What the Kids are Eating...

As mentioned in our introduction, our children are very picky eaters! We are constantly striving to find recipes for them that both taste good and are good for them. Not always an easy task. They are clever, and often figure out where the hidden vegetables are. Other times, they actually choose an early bedtime over eating what we fixed. So frustrating, but I also know that this is an issue that probably some 90% of parents deal with on a regular basis. And who am I kidding? I am not a huge vegetable fan myself! I am trying though... Have to set a good example, right?

For awhile, it seemed as if our youngest child, Brooklyn, who is only 14-months old, was going to be our household "exception to the rule" of picky eaters. She used to eat just about anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a variety of items not meant for human consumption (most of which were rescued from the depths of her mouth before she could actually swallow them). Aside from all of the undesirable things she was deciding to try and eat, she had a really healthy appetite and would eat fruits, veggies, pasta, chicken, tacos, etc. Literally, she never turned down a meal we put in front of her. Until recently. Now, we struggle to get her to eat what we are eating. Disappointing, but we are working to adapt. Looks like it will be an ongoing battle at the Klemt household: parents vs. children, vegetables vs. potato chips, well-balanced meals vs. macaroni and corn dogs. Such is life! We WILL win eventually- whether they like it or not! :)

I will have a new recipe for you tomorrow, but in the meantime, take a look at what Brooklyn has decided she would rather eat than her dinner.

Blue and purple Crayola Magic Marker. Go figure. She actually bit the tips off of both markers and swallowed them! Good thing they are non-toxic, but it looks like she won't be playing with those again anytime soon!!!



Cheesy Chicken & Peppers

Very rarely does my mother send me a recipe to try that she has come across and thinks I would like to try. Normally, it is the other way around, and recipes flow from my direction to hers. This recipe, however, is one that my mom just happened to see in a newspaper she was reading. It was a very fortunate find, and thank goodness she shared it with us, because this recipe has become a household favorite. I adapted it quite a bit from the original recipe she clipped out of the newspaper, but that initial idea inspired a quick, simple, and somewhat healthy recipe that we enjoy on a regular basis.

Here are the ingredients you will need:
-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and dried
-3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
-3/4 tsp. chili powder
-1/2 tsp. cumin
-1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper
-3/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
-1/2 tsp. black pepper
-1 sweet or yellow onion
-2 bell peppers (I use red and green)
-1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
-1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese
-White rice, brown rice, or cooked pasta for serving

The recipe starts with a basic marinade consisting of olive oil, chili powder, cumin, red cayenne pepper, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and black pepper. The amounts of each of these spices can be easily adjusted to your family's particular "heat" preferences. Once the marinade has been mixed together, arrange your chicken in a shallow baking dish (I like to line my dish with foil to reduce clean-up time) and drizzle the marinade over it, turning the chicken to make sure that it is well-coated with this delicious blend of spices. Set the chicken aside while you prepare the vegetables.

Next, I like to carmelize the onions. This step is completely optional, but I feel that the onions have a much better, less abrasive flavor when they are cooked on the stove top before going into the oven. To do this, simply add a couple tablespoons of butter to a skillet set on medium heat. After the butter is melted, add the onions and toss in the butter to coat. Sprinkle a small amount of sugar (a tablespoon or so) on top of the onions and toss again to coat evenly. Tongs work great for this part of the process. Let the onions carmelize and reduce over medium heat, until they are slightly transluscent and a light golden brown color. Remember they will still have to do time in the oven, as well. Turn the heat off and let the onions cool. If you choose not to caramelize your onions, all you will need to do is cut them up into thin slices! Not carmelizing them will definitely save you on calories, if you are counting.

After you have prepared the onions for the dish, whether carmelized or raw, you will want to chop up a red bell pepper and a green bell pepper. If you have a favorite or a particular color you prefer over the others, use those instead! One of the great things about this recipe is how versatile and adaptable it is. The main thing here is to have two whole bell peppers cut into thin strips.

This next part is tricky... Open a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Drain a little bit of the liquid, but keep some in there, too. The juice adds extra flavor and moisture to the dish while it bakes.

At this point, you are ready to start assembling your Cheesy Chicken and Peppers. Your chicken should already be in the dish, marinading and soaking up all the savory flavors of the spice and oil mixture you poured over it. Pour the can of tomatoes with green chilies and the juice over the chicken, using a spatula or spoon to make sure that each piece of chicken has an equal share. The next layer is the peppers. Sprinkle the red and green bell peppers on top of the tomatoes, then top with the (carmelized) onions.

At this point, you are ready to go! Put this pan of layered goodness in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until your chicken is done (the chicken juices will probably not be easy to judge by since the chicken was marinated in colorful spices). Check after 15 minutes or so to ensure that the onions and peppers are not blackening. If they are turning black around the edges, then cover your dish with foil and continue baking.

During the last five to 10 minutes of baking, you will want to add your cheese. Sprinkle one to two cups of your favorite shredded cheese on top of the pepper and onion mixture and continue baking until the cheese is melted and gooey. Who doesn't love gooey cheese? Again, if you are counting calories, use a reduced fat blend of cheese and reduce the overall amount you use. Unfortunately, melted cheese is one of my weaknesses and very rarely will I skimp on it to save the calories. I am sure it shows, too! Once the cheese is melted, remove from the oven. I would suggest letting this sit for a few minutes before serving, as it is EXTREMELY hot initially.

Your Cheesy Chicken & Peppers dish is great served over either white or brown rice or cooked pasta, and black beans make a great accompaniment. Whatever you choose, the outcome is guaranteed to be delicious and satisfying, and you will turn to this dish on more than one ocassion for a quick weeknight fix!

(Please bear with me- I am still working on my photography skills. Hopefully you will see improvement as we learn more!!!)