Saturday, September 29, 2012

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

The other day...I was making some SUPER yummy Baked Rigatoni for dinner.  We have A LOT of cherry tomatoes in the garden right now and I thought they would be SO good, roasted and served with the rigatoni....and I was right :)  SO GOOD!!  Of course they would be super yummy served alone or with many other dishes.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:
Cherry Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Course Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, toss tomatoes with the olive oil on the baking sheet.  Spread the tomatoes so that they are in a single layer.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. 
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Friday, September 28, 2012

Lime Chicken Fajitas


I LOVE fajitas!!  A good friend of mine recently gave me a bunch of bell peppers from her garden to slice and freezer for future fajita goodness :)


I found this recipe over at Dana's blog, Made.  This recipe is easy and there is no need to buy a package of fajita seasoning to make it.  Dana said that she adds cucumbers to her toppings...I've never tried that before, but I LOVED it!!  They add a nice, fresh crispness.  I also served with limes on the side(didn't make the picture) for an extra shot of lime.  We all really loved this recipe!!

Lime Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

Marinade:Juice of 2 Limes
2 Tbl Rice Vinegar (substitute Apple cider vinegar if you’re out)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Cumin
optional:
1-2 Tbl finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1-2 Tbl finely chopped cilantro

Fajitas:
Serves approx 4 people
Approx 8 boneless chicken tenders or 4 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into bite-size pieces.
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion (or less if preferred), cut into rings/strips

Toppings:
Cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce or cabbage, salsa, cilantro

Directions:   Prepare your vegetables, chicken, and marinade. Cut up one onion and two bell peppers into strips.  You need approximately 8 chicken tenders or 4 breasts, cut into small strip-like pieces.

Place the peppers and onions in one bag together and the chicken in another bag. Leave those aside and prepare the simple marinade.  Squeeze the juice from two limes.  Mix the lime juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cumin.  For added flavor and heat, add 1-2 Tbl of finely chopped fresh jalapeno and 1-2 Tbl of finely chopped cilantro(if desired).  Mix everything together and pour half the marinade over the pepper/onion mix, and the other half over the chicken.  Fill each bag with air and shake it all around to make sure everything is coated. Do this over your kitchen sink in case anything leaks or pops.  And place both bags in in a bowl to marinate for 30 minutes or longer. If you’re going to cook them soon, they can be left on the counter top otherwise place them in the refrigerator.

Using a large frying pan, heat a small amount of cooking oil. Pour in the contents of the pepper bag (it’s okay if the liquid goes in too) and let everything cook for about 5 minutes. If there are too many peppers, do it in two batches. You can let the liquid help steam the veggies for a few minutes and then drain the liquid off in the sink so the veggies will brown in the pan. The key is to cook them enough that they’re not raw, but not too much so they still have bite. Similar to al dente. Put the cooked peppers and onions aside on a plate. And clean your pan slightly with water in the sink to remove any black residue from cooking the peppers.  Just as you cooked the peppers, heat a bit of oil in the pan and then add the chicken. Try not to let the marinade liquid get into the pan because the chicken tends to release it’s own liquids. But no big deal if some slips in.  Let it all cook for a few minutes.  Then drain off any liquids in the sink and add a bit more oil (if needed) so the chicken can brown in the pan.

Finally, add the peppers and onions back into the mix and warm for a minute.  Serve with warm tortillas and toppings of your choice.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Stuffed Poblanos

The other day our neighbors gave us some poblano chiles from from their garden...so I went to google to look for a stuffed pepper recipe.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the peppers before I stuffed and cooked them.  They were SO perfect looking...and smelled SO good!!

Anyway, I found this recipe at fine cooking and very lightly adapted it.  The original recipe called for sharp cheddar cheese and no cayenne.  My husband likes things hot, so I added the cayenne.  I also had some Monterrey Jack/Provolone cheese mixture left from making pizza, so that is what I used and I'm telling you.....SO GOOD!!  We LOVED this recipe!!  Next year we will definitely be adding poblano chilies to our garden!! 

Stuffed Poblanos

Ingredients:
4 large poblano chilies
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne (optional...depending on how hot you like it)
Generous pinch ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups shredded cooked chicken, preferably dark meat
1-1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack/Provolone cheese mix (about 7 oz.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including some tender stems)
1 Tbs. lime juice 

Directions: Position an oven rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Slit the chiles from stem to tip and set on the baking sheet. Broil, turning every few minutes, until blackened all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel off the skins, and cut out the seed cores, leaving the stems on. Turn the chiles inside out, flick out any remaining seeds, and turn right side out. Return the poblanos to the baking sheet.

Purée the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a food processor. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the purée and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture looks thick and pulpy, 8 to 11 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the chicken and rice, and then 1 cup of the cheese, the cilantro, and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt. Divide the filling among the peppers, wrapping the sides of the peppers up and around the filling, some of which will still be exposed.

Broil the peppers until the cheese is melting and the top is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese and broil until the cheese is completely melted, about 2 minutes.
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

S'mores Bars

It has been SO long since I have posted anything.  3 1/2 weeks ago, I was getting ready to post this recipe....but, my computer crashed!!  It is being worked on STILL.  Hopefully I will get it back soon.  Luckily, I still had these pictures on my camera.  I tried using our OLD(11 years) laptop, but it didn't take too friendly to blogger....SO I am borrowing my husbands computer.
 
 
 
ANYWAYS...I think that this is my new favorite dessert!!  These are good warm... and I think they are even better the next day.  I probably ate half of these...I just kept a fork in the pan after the first day, that way I could grab a quick bite everytime I walked by. 
 
I found this recipe here at The Hungry Runner Girl(my favorite running blog). 




S'mores Bars
 
Ingredients:1 1/2 cups Graham Crackers (1 sleeve), crushed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup mini marshmallows (according to Janae...the more marshmallow...the better!)
3/4 bag chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet because the hershey bars are milk chocolate)
3 Hershey Bars

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1/4 sugar.  Press into hte bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.

Cream butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar together.  Blend in eggs and vanill.  Stir in flour, salt and baking soda.  By hand mix in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Spread over the graham cracker crust.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Top with broken pieces of Hershey Bars.  Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove and allow to cool before cutting.  Enjoy!!
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