Autumn Risotto with Chicken & Cranerries

This was so surprisingly yummy. My kids loved it as well (although a couple of them picked out the cranberries). I didn't know how this would turn out because I have never made a risotto and I have heard horror stories about it before. I am not sure why because this was fairly simple to make...you just can't really walk away for too long. As long as you have your ingredients ready then it should go smoothly and it makes a nice fall/winter dinner.

This recipe was actually slightly adapted from a recipe I got from Pampered Chef. It is made using their Deep Covered Baker. I happen to have one of those (and I love it so if you ever get a little extra cash then I would highly recommend investing in one), but if you don't then I am sure you can use another casserole type dish that has a lid and can go into the microwave, like Corningware. I am usually ABSOLUTELY against microwaving dinner (I hate meat that has been microwaved) but in the dish from Pampered Chef it doesn't taste microwaved at all. I have cooked two things in the microwave in it and they have both come out amazing. With that said, most dishes are fairly adaptable and I am sure you can adjust this a little to cook it over the stove.

Autumn Risotto with Chicken & Cranberries

1 cup dried cranberries

2 cups hot water

1 medium onion

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (found in the rice section at most grocery stores - and yes, you have to use this specific type of rice for this dish, sorry, no substitutions)

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth

1/2 tsp. each of salt and coarsely ground pepper

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds

2 stalks celery, diced

2 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes

4 large cooked, diced chicken breasts (about 2 cups)

chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine cranberries and hot water in small bowl, set aside. Coarsely chop onion and combine in with rice and oil in casserole dish. Microwave, uncovered, on High for 2-4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add stock, salt and pepper and microwave, covered, on high for 13 minutes or until rice is slightly firm, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, toast almonds in saute pan over medium heat 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Drain cranberries. Careful

ly remove baking dish from microwave, and

add chicken and celery. Microwave again, covered, on high 3-5 minutes or until rice is tender and risotto appears creamy (it might look a little watery).

Carefully remove dish from microwave again. Add cream cheese and almonds and stir until cheese is fully incorporated. It will thicken upon sitting a few minutes. Fold in cranberries, garnish with parsley and serve.

When Chris first got his iPhone, I really didn't care to have one or not. I thought they were cool but it wasn't something that I HAD TO HAVE. Well, now that he has had it for awhile and the more I have played with it, I really do want one. These pictures came from his iPhone which were better than my camera. Plus it has so many more fun and cool things that it does. *Sigh* Maybe, one day.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

I served these at a breakfast meeting that Chris had as well as to my family, and they all LOVED them! This is definitely a keeper. I also love these because they were good, simple and would be great to serve to guests. You won't be disappointed if you try these!

Bacon Cheddar Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1-2 ground black pepper (depending on your taste, I used 1 1/2 and we didn't think it was too much)

8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

3 green onions, thinly sliced

10 slices bacon, cooked chopped and crumbled into small pieces

1 cup buttermilk (plus a little extra, if needed)

For the Egg wash:

1 large egg

2 tbsp. water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of en electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper; mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of small peas. Add in grated cheese and mix just until incorporated.

Mix in green onions, bacon and 1 cup buttermilk. Stir by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to come together, mix in a little more buttermilk a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball. Transfer the dough to lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8 inch disc. Slice dough into 8-10 wedges.

In small bowl, combine egg and water and whisk together. Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash. Transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Strawberry Cake

I have always liked the thought of strawberry cake but every time I make one, I cringe when I finally taste it because it tastes nothing like strawberries and usually leaves a weird after-taste. I am talking about a boxed strawberry cake. I am always so disappointed whenever I make one (which is usually twice a year for both my girls birthdays because they always want a pink cake). So when Allison's birthday rolled around again the hunt began for an actual edible strawberry cake recipe. I liked the ingredients in this recipe but I have one complaint -- it was a little crumbly. If you plan on freezing it than it shouldn't be a problem. I froze mine and they worked great. This was simple to make and tasted great. I only have a picture of the whole cake...not the inside but take my word for it...under that awesome white frosting is three layers of strawberry deliciousness.

2 cups white sugar

1 (3 oz.) package strawberry jell-o

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs, room temperature

2 3/4 cup sifted cake flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry puree made from strawberries (frozen or fresh)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom of 2 or 3 nine inch round pans. ( I used round parchment paper and 3 pans).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the flour and baking powder. Stir the flour mixture and milk into batter, alternating between them. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes (depending on if you use 2 or 3 pans) or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before tapping out to cool completely.

Serve with every one's favorite frosting. (Everyone who I have made it for anyway.) :)

1 8 oz. cream cheese (works better with cold cream cheese)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until no lumps remain in cream cheese

Slowly add in 2 cups whipping cream, scrapping sides of bowl, and mix on high for another 5-10 minutes until thickened. Frost and enjoy!

Grilled Veggie Pizza

Everything Zucchini...that is what I will be posting for the next couple of weeks. As a kid, I did NOT like zucchini; but then again, few kids do. When I finally decided I was brave enough to try zucchini bread I decided that if I had to eat zucchini at all than I guess I could get it down masked by lots of sugar in zucchini bread. As I got a little older, I tried fried zucchini and decided you could get anything down by drowning it in ranch dressing. After I got married, I saw my mother-in-law put raw zucchini in

the salad and thought, "gasp, what is she doing, I can't eat that!" But I very slowly and quietly put the first bite in my mouth and thought...this isn't actually all that bad. Hmmm, maybe zucchini isn't as bad as I always thought it was. Then fast forward a few more years and people started bringing me zucchini as a friendly gesture but little did they know that I would usually look at it for a week wondering what the heck I was going to do with it...then feel guilty for another week because I didn't really want to deal with it and then eventually throw it out. After this happened a couple of times, I thought, "what a waste, I can't keep doing this." So I was determined that the next time I had zucchini I was just going to make some dang zucchini bread because that is what everybody does with i

t, right? So that is what I did. I made zucchini bread. And it was good. And I made bread again and then again. But after a couple of times, I thought...there has got to be something else you can do with zucchini. Then I remembered about putting it in salads. So I did that. And it was good...a little like cucumber but not as wet. My kids didn't know the difference...they still don't. :) This year was the first time I thought...I want to try and make something even more exotic with zucchini. There has to be something else out there. And I was right...there is so much you can do with zucchini! I LOVE zucchini. It is so versatile. And yummy! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Well enough background...and onto the recipe. My kids actually love Pesto. Pretty much anything that I make with Pesto is a family hit and even though this is covered in all kinds of veggies that they usually think twice about they loved it because of the Pesto. This pizza doesn't even have meat in it and the whole family agreed that it might be the new favorite family pizza. Now that is definitely a winner in my book.

Pizza Crust

1/2 tsp. Active dry yeast

3/4 cups warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

3 tbsp. olive oil

Store-bought pesto (or you can make your own)

Toppings

1 medium zucchini (or two small), cut into diagonal slices

1 large Summer squash, cut into diagonal slices

olive oil for brushing

2 whole bell peppers (preferably 2 different kind of yellow, red or orange)

fresh mozzarella (12-16 oz), sliced

Basil leaves

Fresh Parmesan for grating on top

In mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Coast a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in fridge until you need it.

To make the toppings: Place whole peppers on grill turning every 10 minutes or so until blackened (about 30-40 minutes). Remove from grill and immediately place in a large Ziploc bag. Allow to sit for 20 minutes or so, then remove peppers from bag and peel off blackened skin. Deseed peppers, then slice into strips. Set aside.

Brush cut veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until veggies are tender and have nice grill marks. Set aside.

To assemble the pizza: Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface; get it it as thin as you can. Spread a generous amount of pesto (the whole jar) all over the surface of the crust. If you have any left over, store in the fridge.

Lay slices of mozzarella all over the pesto. Arrange grilled zucchini, squash and peppers in a pretty pattern on top of the mozzarella. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the basil and Parmesan. Enjoy immediately.

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

The Best Chicken Salad

The title says it all. This is the best chicken salad recipe. I have only eaten it on croissants so that is what I recommend for it to be the best but I am sure it will work on any bread. Some people don't like fruit in their chicken salad but I have served this to some of "those people" and they really liked it too. If you REALLY don't like fruit in your chicken salad and don't want to even be brave enough to attempt it, then just leave it out.

Chicken Salad

(adapted from the Holiday Chicken Salad recipe from allrecipes.com)

4 cups cooked and diced chicken

1 cup mayo

1 tsp. paprika

1-11/2 cups dried cranberries

1 cup (give or take a little) of cubed fresh mozzarella

1 cup diced celery

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup minced green bell pepper

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. seasoning salt

ground pepper to taste

In medium mixing bowl, stir together mayo, paprika and seasoning salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion and nuts. Add chicken and mix well. Season with black pepper. Chill for at least one hour. Serve on croissants! Yum-O!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

All I can say is, "SOOO GOOD." I was a little worried about putting whole strawberries in the cupcakes but they turned out so moist and with the perfect texture. I was looking for a cupcake recipe that had Strawberry lemonade flavor throughout both cupcake and frosting and this one is IT! This is perfect for a summer treat. ENJOY!!!

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CUPCAKES

(adapted from Annie's Eats)

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Yield: about 24 cupcakes for higher elevations (less for lower elevations)

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (you may need more)
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Lemon slices (sprinkled with sugar)

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir together with a fork and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add in the milk and mix until smooth. Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended. Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup. Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in. It may seem like you have too much but try to use it all up! (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)

To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set aside. Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve your desired texture and flavor of frosting (I added about 7 tablespoons of puree). Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

When I first saw these cupcakes, I have to admit that they sounded like they would be too sweet for me and that is sayin' something since I LOVE sweet things. Nothing is too rich or sweet for me. But these just didn't seem to grab my attention at first. Then I saw them around a couple of more times and decided that they were actually starting to look really good.

Surprisingly, this recipe turned out to have the perfect amount of sweetness to it. The recipe is a little time consuming but if you are looking for an end product to "wow" than this is it.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CUPCAKES

originally from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips


For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration: (optional)
Tiny chocolate chip cookies (just use your favorite recipe)
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

German Apple Pancake

I love apples. I can pretty much eat anything made with apples. Apple pie. Apple muffins. Apple bread. Apple strudel. Apple dumplings. Apples and chicken. Apple bars. Apple jelly. Apple butter. I mean the list could really go on and on. Last fall I bought two boxes of apples. I was very motivated to make something, or a lot of somethings, with apples. I bought Fuji's because they are sweet. And Granny smith because they are tart and great for cooking. And according to my sources a mix of sweet and tart makes the best apple fillings.

My very patient and understanding husband proceeded to help me cut up 40 lbs. of apples. I mixed all my recipes with a 50/50 mix of both types of apples. I made 4 apple pies, apple muffins, apple bread, apple strudel, caramel apple turnovers and canned 8 jars of apple pie filling and then I was pretty much done with apples. I froze most of the baked goods but I was done looking at apples for awhile and even done looking at my kitchen for a while. The problem was that I had about 10 lbs. of apples left and I didn't know what to do with them. So I just cut them up, flash froze them, put them in freezer bags and hoped for the best. A few months went by and I saw this recipe. It was from America's Test Kitchen. They have amazing recipes! And this one looked really good and different. I decided it was time to try out my frozen apples. I made it. And it was, well, awesome!

If you like German Pancakes and you like cooked apples, then you will love this recipe.

German Apple Pancake adapted from America's Test Kitchen

** You will need either a 10 in. or 20 in. (if you douple the recipe) dutch oven skillet or a pan that can go from the stove to the oven.

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples and/or Fuji apples (3 to 4 large apples), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
confectioners' sugar for dusting
Favorite Syrup

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 500 degrees.

Whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla until combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry and whisk until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds; set batter aside.

Heat butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently with heatproof rubber spatula, until apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice.

Working quickly (but carefully), pour batter over the apples starting on the outside of the pan and moving toward the center so as to evenly displace all batter and not push the apples out of the pan. Place skillet in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees; bake until pancake edges are brown and puffy and have risen above edges of skillet, about 18 minutes.

Using oven mitts to protect hands, remove hot skillet from oven and loosen pancake edges with heatproof rubber spatula. You can leave the pancake in the pan or invert pancake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges, and serve. You can serve with syrup if you would like, but you don't have to. We served with the following syrup.

Buttermilk Carmel Syrup
From Our Best Bites
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot...it will bubble over.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it’s still bubbling, you’re okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes.

When it’s done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla. There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it’s not super pretty. If you’re into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.