Wordless Wednesday

Words of Wisdom...

I couldn't have said these better myself....

Corn Dip

Need a yummy (and different) appetizer to bring to a football game or fall get together? Try this one...the sweetness from the corn, the creaminess of the cheese, and the bite from the jalapeno will send your taste buds over the edge with delight. I just made this dip for the first time today, and it was everything I expected and more...plus people at the party RAVED about it and wanted the recipe. It's good to have one of those dips that people ask "who made this dip, it's awesome" when you are in the kitchen listening in on their critiques.  I promise you, it's one of those dips you can't just have one bite of....

HOT CORN DIP

1 can of Mexi-corn (found in the corn section)
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheese (taco or monetery)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6-12 jalapeno peppers, chopped and minced (more if you like heat)

Mix all the ingredients together and bake in a dish for 20-30 minutes. Serve with corn chips or small sliced toasted bread.

Cajun Chicken Pasta/Rice

If you haven't heard of Dinosaur BBQ you are either A) not from Upstate, NY or B) have been living in a cave the past few decades. One seasoning I love, love, love from Dinosaur BBQ is there Cajun Foreplay seasoning aka, "the taste of New Orleans", Dixieland Dust, Creole etc. You haven't tried it yet? What are you waiting for!!  It's a versatile mixture of paprika, garlic, cayenne, sugar, onion, pepper, and roasted chillies that add zip, tang and spice. Add this seasoning as your favorite rub, or to a burger for a little kick, let your imagination run wild with food! This is one of those recipes that anyone can do, and I mean anyone,...easy to MAKE a mess, but hard to mess up!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of flour (depending on how much chicken you are making)
4-6 tablespoons of Dinosaur BBQ's Cajun Foreplay (more or less depending on your hotness factor
Boneless chicken breasts, thighs, drums, whole chicken, or boneless chicken strips (what I usually use)
1-2 cups of heavy cream
4 tablespoons of butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 red pepper
1/2 cup of onion


Steps
Make a flour and seasoning dredging station (for more intense flavor sprinkle with Cajun seasoning first before dredging in flour mix)
Dip each piece of chicken into the flour/seasoning dredge. Make sure each is coated.
In a 9x12 dish rub butter over the bottom of the dish, and place each chicken piece in the pan.
I usually add an additional 4 teaspoons of butter to the top of the chicken (this will help with the crispness of the chicken coating)
You may want to flip each piece of chicken once so it gets a nice golden brown coating.
Put in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 and serve over rice, linguine, or penne pasta.


Sauce for Pasta
If you are making pasta, you will want to make sauce to go with it. Here is how I make mine....

Simmer 2 cups of heavy cream (or 1/2 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk) and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Let butter melt and add 2-3 teaspoons of the same Cajun Foreplay seasoning (depending on your hotness tolerance). Let simmer for 2-3 minutes then add chicken. Let simmer another 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens up. Add sauce and chicken mixture over pasta or rice.

Where can you buy this seasoning? Look for it in the spice/baking section of Wegmans or Dinosaur BBQ itself!

Enjoy!
<3 Jenn

Garlic Chicken and Broccoli

Because it was another crazy night in the O'Malley household, I didn't have time to make my originally planned meal (chicken fajitas), plus I craved Chinese, not Mexican. Knowing that I just started weight watchers this past week, Chinese food was not an option. Instead I thought about what I could make that resembled my favorite Chinese dish (Garlic Chicken and Broccoli), minus the one million calories that goes along with every pint of food. So, I decided to throw some of my favorite flavors together (garlic and broccoli) to make my version of the Chinese take-out favorite,..to my surprise it came out delicious, and as an extra added bonus, the girls loved it.

Garlic Chicken and Broccoli

 

Ingredients

2 tsp Olive oil (and a little bit of butter, butter makes everything better)
3 Medium garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Uncooked chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp Table salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
2 cup Broccoli, florets
1 1/2 cup Canned chicken broth, 99% fat free
1 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch
2 cup Cooked brown rice, kept hot

Preparation

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until browned on all sides, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.

Add broccoli to skillet, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth and add mixture to skillet. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Serve over rice.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Nut Bread

It's no secret that I love two things- one being chocolate and two, fall - so why not infuse my two favorites into one unforgettable recipe.  Seriously though, who doesn't love fall? It's our one of four seasons that introduces our taste buds back to our favorite rib sticking comfort foods that we long for all summer.  Plus, fall gathers all of the yummiest aromatic scents of pumpkin, apple and spice into one appetizing season, it really does makes my head spin with delight.

So here it is, a quick and easy recipe that uses Pillsbury Pumpkin Bread, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Think smarter, not harder =)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Nut Bread

This recipe is SO easy...believe me, or don't, but read on...

Three simple ingredients....

1.Mix up the Pillsbury Pumpkin Bread Mix with directed ingredients.
2. Add a cup of chocolate chips and a cup of walnuts (mix)
3. Grease bread pans and bake.

Make this once and you'll never want to eat pumpkin bread naked again. Don't like bread? Try using the bread mix as cookie mix (don't let them fool you, you CAN use it as cookie mix, and it comes out just as good). Happy Fall!!