Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cups water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan or use paper liners.
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

NOTE: This made a tray of full sized muffins and a tray of mini muffins.

Kicked Up Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

INGREDIENTS

6 red bell peppers

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey

2 cups left over Spanish rice

1 can diced tomatoes

1 small can El Pato Mexican tomato sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

pepper jack cheese, shredded

water

DIRECTIONS

1. On medium high heat cook turkey in a large skillet. Add a splash of water and season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook thoroughly until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain excess fat.

2. Stir in Spanish rice and diced tomatoes until thoroughly combined.

3. Cut off tops of bell peppers and clean out the inner membranes.

4. Arrange the peppers cut side up in a baking dish. Fill each pepper with rice meat mixture. Pour El Pato tomato sauce over the top of each bell pepper and sprinkle with pepper jack cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

Chicken and summer vegetable tostadas

The original recipe can be found here on Cooking Light. I made a few small changes such as adding ground coriander seed and tomatoes. I also made an alternate version with white beans for myself.

1.5 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

5 chicken tenders or boneless skinless thighs

3 ears fresh white corn shucked and kernels cut off into bowl

1/2 zucchini fine diced

1 small onion fine diced

6 oz green salsa

1/4 cup cilantro chopped

1 cup monteray jack cheese shredded

2 small tomatoes diced

3 tbsp olive oil

4 flour tortillas

cooking spray (I used olive oil kind)

Combine coriander, salt, pepper and cumin in bowl. Season both sides of chicken with half of mix. Heat oil in skillet over medium low heat. Cook chicken on both sides until brown. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Reduce heat to low and add chicken salsa to pan. Coat and cook for 2 minutes. Place tortillas on cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray. Place under broiler on low until tortillas brown and get crispy. Add corn, zucchini and onion to chicken toss to combine. Add remaining seasoning, toss to coat and turn off heat. Once tortillas have crisped remove from broiler and add 1/4 chicken mixture to each one. Top with 1/4 cheese and place back under broiler until cheese melts. Top with tomatoes and cilantro. Cut into quarters to serve.

As a vegetarian alternative I heated the white beans until they began to brown. I followed the same steps above and it turned out great. My husband hates beans, but if he didn't I think this recipe would kick ass with the chicken and beans combined!

Bean version.

Chicken mushrooms ranch burritos

This was one of those meals where I knew I had chicken for dinner and that was about it. I went through about 14 things to make in my head and decided to just open the cabinet and go. This is what I came up with.

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 3 breasts)
2.5 tbsp ranch powder (see below)
.5 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
2 cups mushrooms
.5 cup yellow onion diced
olive oil for pan
3 cups shredded Monteray Jack Cheese (Pepperjack would be fun too)
3 flour tortillas
6 tbsp mayonnaise (I KNOW I KNOW BUT....)
1 cup good ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken with ranch, garlic powder and pepper. Place the chicken in a skillet over medium heat. Brown on both sides and add mushrooms and onions. Increase heat to medium high and cook until mushrooms and onions are soft and chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan and slice into bite size pieces. Place tortillas flat and divide 2/3 cheese between the three tortillas. Divide your chicken mushroom mixture between the three tortillas and top with mayonnaise. Fold in both ends and wrap. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Bake until tortilla begins to brown. Top with remaining cheese and bake until bubbly and melted. If you want to get fancy you can drizzle the ranch over the top. I just put it in bowls for everyone to tip in. Husband loved this meal.

I know your thinking mayo in a wrap that is heated BUT DUDE YOU NEED TO TRY IT. You can leave it out if you're a wimp though!

Last month someone bitched because I said that I use ranch powder "like" Hidden Valley. I don't actually use Hidden Valley because I hate it. I use this stuff:

I got it at a craft fair one year and fell in love. The recipe for ranch dressing has ruined me for life and no ranch will ever compare to this stuff. You make it with buttermilk and oh my fuck. You can mix it with sour cream for the craziest low fat dip EVER IN THE WORLD, or you can put that on potatoes and just die from goodness. So. When I refer to ranch dressing this is what I'm talking about. If you are interested in having a mouth orgasm, tasting the best home made ranch ever or knocking your potato socks off you can order this here:

Or online here

Cherry Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
1 (8 oz) crescent dinner rolls
½ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in almond extract, almonds and cherries; set aside.
3. On a greased cookie sheet, unroll dough and press into 13x7-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
4. Spoon cream cheese mixture lengthwise down center 1/3 of rectangle. On each long side of dough rectangle, make cuts 1 inch apart to edge of filling. Fold opposite strips of dough over filling and cross in center to form a braided appearance; seal ends.
5. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
6. In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth; drizzle over coffee cake. If desired, garnish with additional sliced almonds and cherries. Cover and refrigerate any remaining coffee cake.

And I am back in the game...

The circuit board in my old camera was fried, so they gave me a brand new replacement camera. YAY!!!

Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce

All I could think about the other day was how I was so sick of the ideal that you need to eat 'light and healthy' during the summer. Not that I don't eat light and healthy most of the time, and not to say that I don't enjoy taking advantage of the plethora of fresh fruits and veggies that are available during the summer, but all I know is this dish (which is SOOO not light and healthy) hit the spot the other day. Hope it helps satisfy a craving for someone else out there...

Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1 package pre-made gnocchi
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion
2 large cloves garlic
3 strips of bacon or pancetta
¼ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup of frozen peas
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prep some of the ingredients: Peel and dice the onions into medium sized pieces. Mince the garlic and cut the bacon into 1" to 1-½" strips. Thaw the peas anyway you like and grate the Parmesan.


2. Heat up a large pot of salted water for cooking the gnocchi. Don't add the gnocchi quite yet, but get the water boiling so it is ready to go.


3. Heat your saute pan over medium-high heat to get it hot. Add the oil and butter to the pan; when the butter is melted and hot, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.


4. Add the bacon (or pancetta) and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the bacon doesn’t have that white fatty look any more. You don’t want the bacon crisp, just cooked through. Pancetta will take slightly less time to cook than bacon.


5. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, stirring up any of the bacon bits that may be sticking to the pan. Add the cream and then the peas. Simmer for 3 – 4 minutes and you will notice the sauce start to thicken.


6. Right after you add the cream, add the gnocchi to the boiling water. They will only take a few minutes to cook and will float to the top of the water when they are ready. Drain and set aside.


7. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the drained gnocchi and stir gently to coat the gnocchi with sauce.


8. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.