recipe of the week: buffalo chicken stromboli

i originally published this recipe a couple of years ago, but that version contained some ingredients that i no longer allow in our home. so here's the much healthier, real food containing and yummier version that we eat now!


buffalo chicken stromboli

1 ball pizza dough from trader joes or your favorite pizzaria
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup hot buffalo wing sauce (i use frank's red hot)
1-2 tablespoons straight up hot sauce (i use frank's for that too)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fiesta blend cheese (i use whole foods brand)
1/2 a large red onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 stalks celery, diced
your choice of dressing on the side (ranch is my preferred, naturally)

you guys, this recipe is so.stinking.easy. every time i make it i mean to take pictures of the whole process, so next time i PROMISE i will have them for you :-)

spray a baking sheet lightly with olive oil (i have a mister that i use...i definitely prefer real olive oil to any other nonstick spray substance)

while the chicken is cooking, roll out your pizza dough--it helps to be more oval or even rectangular for this recipe.

mix the chicken and the hot sauces together, and put down the center of the dough in about a 1-2 inch wide strip (depending on how wide your dough is)

top with the onion, then the celery and shredded carrots

put the cheeses on top of the veggies

then start "braiding" the pizza dough

it'll look something like this when you finish. i then mist the top with a little more olive oil so that it'll brown nicely

 bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on your desired brownness.

and naturally, enjoy.

thursday's ten or so: the january goals edition

so i've been a little lax on the blog this year, but that's ok. i've been formulating a new plan for what i'm going to be doing this year in terms of goals, and i've come up with a fun way to combine one of my favorite things (making lists) with another favorite (pinterest).  this year instead of having random goals that i can't really "track" i'm trying to do ten things a month that fall into the categories of:

1- try new recipes (because we all know i love the cooking)
2- improve overall health
3- do something creative
4- invest in relationships (God, husband, friends, co-workers, etc)
5- have FUN
6- organizations/improvements in general

so, i'm creating a board for each month (not all of them exist yet) of things that somehow fit one or more categories.  here is january's list

1 - start a "blessings" jar for 2013. more on that as it comes {creative, fun, relationships)
2 - create a vegetable soup recipe that both anthony and i will enjoy. i hope. {recipes, health}
3 - try the meat/egg in muffin tin recipe {recipes}
4 - recipe for tortellini spinach bake {recipes}
5 - recipe for hashbrown quiches {recipes}*
6 - get in a routine of exercising in the mornings {health}
7 - recipe for balsamic carrots {recipes, health, relationships (because it's mainly for A)}
8 - recipe for blt pasta salad {recipes}
9 - reorganizing the kitchen utensils/counters/drawers {organization}
10 - trying the mint tin storage solution {organization}
this month it's a bit recipe-heavy. hopefully the months will even out a bit...this was just my first attempt at a monthly goals board.  we're a little over halfway through the month, and i have done a few of these already! i'll post pictures/give an update at the end of january or beginning of february along with feb's goals! i think this is going to be fun :-)

*swapped this one for another salad type recipe that i realized i'd rather have in warmer weather! perhaps the low 20s this week made me reconsider!

join me?
or at least share some of this year's hopes/dreams/goals with me!

it's a great day to celebrate granny

this is one of those glorious weekends 

where not much is 'scheduled'

and things are pretty laid back

yesterday morning anthony worked while i had lunch with a friend and ran errands

we had vodka pasta for dinner (yay indulgences)

today is church (at 4.30 pm. being part of a church plant is awesome that way)

and tonight we celebrate anthony's granny's birthday

(i believe there is brisket involved)

i have a gift to wrap

and worship rehearsal to get to

hope you're having a lovely day

xo

recipe of the week: beefy noodle casserole

i love my schedule. except for one small but important detail.

i'm rarely home before 7. 

which wouldn't be a big deal if

(a) i didn't love to cook

(b) we ate more easy/processed foods

but since neither of those are a truth in our home, i have limited options to getting a healthy and tasty meal on the table. 

thankfully i've discovered a few solutions.

(a) prepping ahead of time, and leaving instructions for anthony to pop something in the oven or mix the last part of a dish together

(b) a husband who doesn't mind cooking start to finish since he gets home first (and who does so at least once every other week or so...and would do it more often if i asked!)

(c) a crock pot that i try to utilize several times a month

and 

(d) quicker but still "real food" recipes.

don't get me wrong. i will always love cooking the more involved and impressive dishes. but they simply aren't practical for a weeknight in our home. hello saturdays :-)

with that longest introduction ever, here's a very basic little recipe that you could adapt to fit your own taste preferences. this is actually originally a taste of home recipe that i adapted quite a bit. it's fairly low-fat, calorie and carb though, so i definitely appreciate it!

beefy noodle casserole

2 cups egg noodles

1/2 pound ground beef

1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz)

6 tbsp diced green chiles (standard small can)

2 tbsp diced green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp cream cheese

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

cook pasta according to package directions

 brown ground beef

 add tomato sauce

 green onions

 green chiles

 and spices. simmer together for about 5-10 minutes

 spoon 1/2 beef mixture into bottom of casserole dish

 top with 1/2 the noodles, then layer the cheeses and sour cream on top

 repeat beef and noodle layers

 bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until it's bubbling nicely

enjoy! 



 

recipe of the week: mongolian beef (crock pot or not)

once upon a time, i decided that i wanted to make mongolian beef.
and none of the recipes i found seemed perfect, so naturally i decided to make my own :-)

here's what you need:

1 pound (or a bit more) flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 green onions, sliced into 1/2 or 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water

begin by slicing the flank steak against the grain into very thin strips

admire

place your corstarch in a mixing bowl

toss the steak strips in it until they are well coated

in a large skillet heat garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in olive oil for 3-5 minutes

add coated beef strips and fully cook

grab your green onions

add them to the mix (perfectly ok to do this while the meat is browning, of course)

yum.

add the brown sugar

once the meat is fully cooked, mix the hoisin and soy sauces

pour into the mix and add the water

this is the point where it can go one of two ways. either simmer it on the stove until you are ready to serve it

OR pour into a crock pot and use the lowest setting (i just kept it on "warm") to continue simmering it throughout the day.

serve over brown rice. so, so yummy.

 

recipe of the week: spinach tortellini soup (slow cooker!)

spinach tortellini soup (in the crockpot!)

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups vegetable broth

3 cups water

6 oz raw mushrooms, washed and sliced (i use the wild mushroom blend from whole foods)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne peper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cheese tortellini

4 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn

1 cup skim milk

1 cup whipping cream

fresh parmesan cheese to top

begin by stirring together in a crock pot the vegetable broth, butter, water, flour, mushroom, onion, garlic and spices.

 cover and cook on low from 6-8 hours

 add torn spinach leaves

 and tortellini.  stir together and cook for another 30 minutes or so

 add milk and whipping cream

 cook on low for another 20-30 minutes

 and enjoy!

 top with parmesan cheese if you wish. (we wish :-)

*adapted to eliminate pre-packaged mixes and to fit our tastes from this recipe

recipe of the week: ny deli mac & cheese

adapted slightly, but pretty much rachael ray's recipe (found here)

ny deli mac & cheese

1 pound pasta (i typically use elbow macaroni)

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon or so of italian seasoning

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup skim milk

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese

8 oz mild cheddar cheese

1/4 cup spicy deli or german mustard

1/2 pound pastrami, chopped roughly

6 slices rye bread

cook pasta according to package directions. 

meanwhile, heat a large skillet or saucepan and add the butter and italian seasoning.  when butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook for a minute before adding the chicken stock, milk and mustard.

 toast up the rye bread slices

 then pulse them in a food processor

 remove and set aside in bowl, then also chop the pastrami in the food processor

 shred cheese and mix well

 once liquids on stove have heated through, stir cheese* in a figure eight motion until melted and smooth
*but reserve just a bit of the cheese 

 add pastrami

 place cooked pasta in baking dish

 pour cheese mixture over noodles

 yum

 top with toasted rye crumbs

 add reserved cheese

 bake at 400゜ until browned and bubbling

and watch your husband enjoy :-)