Chicken Caesar Pasta

We had this tonight and it turned out very well so I thought I would share. The original idea was from Joel's mom and I decided to add my own little twist. (I did this a few weeks ago)

Ingredients -
Grilled Chicken chopped(as much as you want)
spaghetti noodles
2 cups spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
one clove of garlic
caesar dressing (your own amount, depends on how much sauce you like - I used about half the bottle - ish)
salt and pepper to taste

Make the noodles.
Saute the garlic and onion for a few minutes and then add spinach until wilted, add chicken and caesar dressing. Then mix in the noodles and serve! You can add other things like tomatoes if you want!

Sorry for the choppy directions and such but I have never written an original! :)
Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones

This recipe turned out amazing. We went out on an adventure and tried making scones for the first time. I was a bit hesitant because they seem so daunting. You never know if they will be too dry, too crumbly, or not cook enough. I am so happy we took this trip, because they are amazing.

We only did the spice glaze as a drizzle because we did not want them to be too sweet and it helps cut down on calories.

This recipe is from My Baking Addiction
(I took some pictures of my own, but have not uploaded them yet, so for now here are the ones from her sight)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones
adapted from: recipezaar

Ingredients
Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 large egg
1/2 cup mini cinnamon chips

Powderered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions
to make the scones
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, vanilla paste and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix in mini cinnamon chips. Form the dough into a ball.
4. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into an 8-inch circle and about 1 inch thick. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 8 equal triangular portions. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

to make the plain glaze
-Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
-When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

as the plain glaze firms up, make the spiced glaze
-Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Fresh Strawberry Bread

Here is an amazing bread that I found from My Baking Addiction. I used yogurt instead of buttermilk along with strawberry cream cheese because it was all I had in the fridge. This is great to do if your strawberries are starting to go bad before you can eat them.

Fresh Strawberry Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped

Directions
1. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix.
4. Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

Image taken from My Baking Addiction

baked spinach dip mini bread bowls

That sure is a long name for these small delicious little things BUT I thought I would post because I made them tonight and they were oh so good!

This recipe is from Picky Palate, one of my new fave food websites... check it out!

Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls

13.3 oz roll of refrigerated french bread loaf, I used Simply Pillsbury
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
3 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup light sour cream
2 Tablespoons fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ancho Chile Pepper
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Garlic Salt
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Sicilian Sea Salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 10 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray. Unroll package of french bread loaf and slice into 10 equal size slices, about 1 inch thick. Press each slice into about a 3 inch round, I did this by pressing in between my hands. Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn heat off.

3. Place cream cheese, sour cream, cooked spinach and garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Ancho Chili Powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dip into each of the centers of bread bowls. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until just turning brown on edges. Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from oven.

10 mini spinach dip bread bowls

Beer Bread and Chinese Cheesecakes

For the Super Bowl we wanted to make some fun game day food. After seeing a few recipes online or TV we decided to embark on some new cooking experiences. Scott and I made Chinese Cheesecakes from Guy's Big Bite and Beer Bread from My Baking Addiction with spinach dip.

Chinese Cheesecake

Ingredients

Canola oil, for frying
8 tablespoons cream cheese
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese
2 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar (1 1/2 for mix, 1 tablespoon for garnish)
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
10 thick egg roll skins
1 cup raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, fresh preferred
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Heat 1-inch of canola oil in large saute pan, to 325 degrees F.

In a bowl mix the cream cheese, ricotta, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar with a whip, until thoroughly blended.

Beat egg and milk together. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of cheese mix in center back of egg roll skin and place 4
to 6 raspberries in the center of cheese mixture.

Brush egg wash around edges of skin, fold left and right sides of skin in 1/2-inch, and then roll from back to
front, insuring that the roll is sealed.

Place in oil and cook both sides until golden brown. Let drain on paper towels for 2 to 3 minutes.

Dust with cinnamon and sugar. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries, if desired.

Beer Bread

yields | 1 loaf

Ingredients
3 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces beer {I used Sam Adams Winter Lager}
2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8×4 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and beer; mix well. The mixture will be sticky. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes.
3. At the last three minutes of baking, remove from oven, brush the top of the loaf with the melted butter and return to oven for the final three minutes of baking.

Homemade Granola and Smart Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today when I woke up I decided that today was going to be a baking and cooking day. Maybe it's the random spurt of energy I have today and the great sleep I got last night. This might mean the baby is on his way...who knows!

Homemade Granola
4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped almonds
Method
In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and coconut; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Add raisins and dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.

**This is super yummy! Put it over yogurt or milk with some fresh blueberries.

Smart Chocolate Chip Cookies - a wholesome twist on a family classic!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oat
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

Makes 36 cookies (it really does make this much)

I also made a homemade Hearty Oat Loaf today. We haven't tried it yet so I will post the recipe once we do (just to make sure it tastes as good as it looks).

Love you all!

This Week

By request from Crystal...our meal plan this week. A warning that it's very boring this week...very kid friendly I guess:)

Tuesday - ham, mac and cheese, peas
Wednesday - chicken fajitas
Thursday - going to a wives' meeting:) (probably blueberry waffles for the kids, and the husband can just find something...haha)
Friday - pizza night
Saturday - dinner out/take-out
Sunday - no cooking night: sandwiches, apples, popcorn
Monday - chicken patty sandwiches, green beans