Veggie Quesadillas

It has been quite a while since I posted last...pregnancy has played quite a roll in my lack of attendance in the kitchen. First it was the 4 months straight of morning sickness, now its the sore back, tailbone, and swollen feet from standing too long. Its a little detouring, but I'll make it back eventually. For now I'm all for quick and easy meals. Ones that don't require too much effort - or at least standing over a hot stove. Tonight I made veggie quesadillas. This is one of those recipes that I make when I have to just make due with what I might have in the kitchen...or when I'm feeling lazy...both of which are the case tonight. You really can add whatever you want to these. I don't think I've ever made it exactly the same every time.

• Flour tortillas
• Bell peppers, julienned
• Grated cheese (preferably Monterey Jack, but mozzarella or cheddar work too)
• Corn (canned, fresh or frozen)
• Black beans
• Lime Juice
• Olive oil
• Cayenne Pepper

Heat oil in pan. Add bell peppers and cook until soft. Add black beans, corn, lime juice, and cayenne pepper (all to taste). Simmer until heated through. Brush one side of tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Top with another tortilla, facing the oil side up (away from the mixture). Cook until browned on each side and cheese has melted.

Lemon Bars #2

Way back in July I posted a recipe for Lemon Bars and said that I was going to follow up with more lemon bar recipes. Well I never did (hmm, big surprise, huh?). Tonight (only 6 months later), I tried yet another lemon bar recipe, this time it being Bakerella's. Everything she makes is delicious, so I figured these mustn't be any different. These turned out great. These had a much better crust to topping ratio than the last lemon bar recipe I tried. My little boys loved them, so they must be tasty :)

For the Crust:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup confectionary sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 whole eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

To make crust:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter until combined and crumbly. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

While crust is baking, prepare topping. In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder. Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice. Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen.

Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken

Today at Trader Joe's I grabbed some lunch for my kids and I (thats what happens when I shop at lunch time!). As always they chose their usual Turkey Club Wrap to share. I usually just grab some Spicy California Rolls or a turkey and swiss sandwich on a pretzel roll (oh those pretzel rolls are tasty!). But today I thought I'd try something new and I guess I was up for something lighter and more fresh...like a salad. The Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken was looking quite satisfying to me, so I tried it. It was really tasty! Tasty enough for me to post about it. Now I haven't made this myself yet (seeing as I just tried it from the store just an hour or 2 ago), but it is definitely on my list of "To Make Soon." There are no measurements here, just ingredients, so its all measured according to your likings.

(photo by flickr)

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Yellow corn (fresh or canned, drained)
• Red cabbage, chopped
• Green onions, chopped
• Red bell peppers, diced
• Israeli couscous, cooked
• Dried currants
• Asiago cheese, grated
• Grilled chicken breast, cubed, sliced, or shredded
• Toasted pecans (optional)
• Trader Joe's Sweet Basil Dressing (If you don't have a T.J.'s, you can try this recipe or this one, but note that I have not tested either one, so I'm not sure what you'll be getting! But then again if you have a T.J.'s you could also just buy the pre-made salad and save your self a lot a of time too)

Chop or cook ingredients as directed above. Toss to your liking and enjoy!

Cheese Fondue

I can't believe its been like 2 months since I've posted last. I apologize! I had quite the sick spell...having morning (okay, all day) sickness REALLY bad for 4 months straight, then getting this nasty head cold sickness for 2 weeks. I finally got over it all and the holidays arrived. Where has the time gone? I really haven't cooked anything new in the last couple months, but for New Years I DID take a whirl at making fondue. Cheese fondue is a New Years tradition in my family. We always have it and its always good. My mom broke her leg right before Christmas, so since she wasn't up for the deed, I stepped in. I was a bit nervous...here's how she told me to make it..."I use apple juice, take all the cheese I have [she gets Hickory Farms packages every year that always have a variety of cheeses], and melt it all together." Um, that was hard for me. I love fondue, so I didn't really feel comfortable just winging it. But I did. And it turned out wonderful! My husband discovered a wonderful concoction. He put some fondue on his bread, then spread a little Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip on it. Oh man, that was good! Heart stopping, but good!

(photo from Seduction Meals)

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups apple juice (traditionally uses wine, but I'm not a wine drinker, so I prefer juice)
• 7-8 cups shredded cheese (use a variety! This year I used about 6 cups of Jarlsburg Swiss, a cup of sharp cheddar and about a cup of those little round cheeses rapped in red wax and wrapping)
• 1/2 to 1 clove garlic, minced
• Cubed bread (and/or cut veggies, meat, or anything else you would like to dip)

Heat a medium sauce pot on medium heat. Rub minced garlic on bottom of pan. Pour in apple juice (start with 1 cup and add more if needed after adding the cheese); bring to a boil. Slowly add in shredded cheeses. Constantly stir until cheeses have thoroughly melted. If it seems to thick, add a little more apple juice at a time. If it seems to thin, dissolve some corn starch in water and add to your fondue to thicken it a bit. You want it to be a thick enough consistency so it will coat your bread, but not to thick so as to slide right off. When done, keep in the pan and dip your bread with a fork into your fondue, or place cheese mixture in a fondue pot and enjoy!

MIA

I deeply apologize for all of you wonderful people who continue to check here for updates! Its' been WAY too long, I know. But I have a legit excuse. I've only cooked maybe 3 times in the past 2 months (nothing new of course). Sad, I know, but its all the fault of this little squirt:

Yup, its true, I'm pregnant with baby #3 (about 14 weeks)! And I've been REALLY sick this time around. So thats why I haven't cooked, baked, stepped foot in my kitchen. I'm hoping it'll let up soon so I can return to the culinary world. So stay tuned...

Chicken Croissant Rolls

Tonight I needed something quick, easy, and something that I had all the stuff for. So I made Chicken Croissant Rolls. I haven't made them in forever and I forgot how much my kids love them. I thought "Chicken Croissant Rolls" was too boring, so I asked my 6 year old what we should call them. His first response, "Death Balls." Well I supposed they are a heart stopper, but doesnt' sound too appetizing. So he changed it to "Chicken Balls." A little more pleasant I guess, but I think I'll just stick to the original name. This recipe calls for a sort of gravy made of Cream of Mushroom and milk. It's good, but I prefer to go a little more fatty, tasty, and easy. I prefer Country Gravy. I just use the McCormick's Country Gravy pack that you just add water to. Its great for Biscuits and Gravy too (not as good as the homemade stuff, but what packaged food is?). I like it anyway. I don't ever eat more than 1, 'cause they're too rich for me, but my son just downed 2 1/2! I guess he likes 'em!

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 cans chunk chicken)
• 1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, chive & onion (or regular cream cheese and add some chives and chopped onion), softened
• 1 pkg refrigerated croissant rolls
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• Melted butter
• 1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom)
• About 2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 375°. Cook the chicken until tender. Cool and shred. Mix chicken with the softened cream cheese in a small bowl. Roll out the croissant rolls, put a spoonful of chicken mixture at the wide end of the roll, fold over the sides and roll to seal mixture in. Roll in melted butter and then in the breadcrumbs (I like to add a little grated Parmesan to the breadcrumbs). Put in a muffin pan and cook for 20-25 minutes. While chicken rolls are cooking, heat up the cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup and the milk together, adding more milk if you want it runnier and less milk if you want it thicker. To serve, spread the soup mixture over the rolls like gravy.

Look at Me!

A couple weeks ago I entered my farm cake into Cookie Magazine's cake decorating contest. I was happy to find that my cake made it on the Farm Theme post. And its the first one listed! I know I won't win (check out the super cool cakes people submitted!), but its fun to be posted anyway. Check it out here.