Bacon and Pepperoncini Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Around Superbowl time a friend and I were commiserating about the fact that our disinterest in sports excludes us from all the great sports fare.  So, our Non-Superbowl, Superbowl party was born.  It basically meant all the game food, none of the game.  Score for us!  (Yes, that's right, I'm not a sports fan, but I'm still a real nice gal, honest!)

Don't you love this colorful bouquet of peppers.  I like to consider this my attempt at being responsible, by bringing veggies that haven't been dunked in hot oil.  Instead they've been stuffed with cheese!  I'll admit that I took a small leap of faith making these, I'd never had anything like this, so I had no idea what to expect.  Let me just tell you, these little babies are TASTY!  Sweet crunchy peppers, stuffed with a creamy filling that has a great tangy/smoky combo.  They would make the perfect appetizer for a party, luncheon or baby/bridal shower.  You've got to give these a try.

Bacon and Pepperoncini Stuffed Sweet Peppers
From The Shrinking Kitchen

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 slices turkey bacon, chopped (I used reduced fat center cut bacon)

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 green onions, diced

10 pepperoncini peppers, stems removed and roughly chopped

4 ounces light cream cheese

20 mini sweet bell peppers

 

Directions

 

Wash and cut the stems off the mini bell peppers and set aside.  In a non stick skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the bacon and saute for a few minutes until it starts to crisp.  Throw the green onions and chopped red bell pepper in with the bacon and continue to saute until the peppers are softened.  Scrape the bacon/onion/bell pepper into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.  Add the cream cheese and pepperoncinis to the food processor and pulse till combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a little juice from the pepperoncini jar.  Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a zip top bag.  Snip off a tiny piece of one corner of the bag.  Fill the cavity of each mini pepper with the cream cheese mixture.  Chill the filled peppers until ready to serve, or at least an hour.  (I thought they were even better the next day.)

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Lemon Graham Squares

I spend every Tuesday evening meeting with the youth group in our church.  It keeps me really busy but has turned into the highlight of my week.  I know teenagers sometimes get a bad wrap, but our kids are awesome!  So driven, so bright and energetic, and so kind to each other.  No Mean Girls in this crowd.  Their great vibes are so infectious, I always leave feeling younger and fortunate to be around such great young people.

 Regardless of what we might be doing that night, (service project, building skills, working towards goals), food is almost always involved, and I am always happy to provide it.  It gives me a chance to experiment with delicious looking treats without actually having to have them in the house.  I found these lemon graham squares on Debbie's blog at the Friday Friends and instantly fell in love.  How can you not love a tart lemon filling between two layers of cookie crumbs?  I made them once for our church group, and then a new batch the very next day to hoard at home.  Yeah, so much for getting them out of the house!

Lemon Graham Squares
Found at The Friday Friends

Ingredients

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (exactly one plastic packed stack of graham crackers)
3/4  cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

In a bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice, mix well, set aside. In another bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in butter until crumbly.

Press half of the crumb mixture into a greased 9-inch square baking dish.  Pour lemon mixture over crust; sprinkle with remaining crumbs.   Bake at  375F for  20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Cut into bars.

Shared with Taste and Tell Thursdays

White Beans with Prosciutto

For dinner it always seems like I work really hard on a main dish, but then my side dishes always end up being...how you say...LAME.  It usually ends up being a mess of veggies roasted on a cookie sheet, or on my most desperate nights, some medley from a can or frozen bag.  I let it pass on the merit that we actually have some sort of green on our plate at all, but sometimes it's nice to have a thought out side dish to really complete the meal.

I rarely serve beans as a side dish, which is a shame, because they're awesome.  They're creamy, filling and lend themselves to a ton of possibilities.  I loved these white beans with prosciutto.  They are packed with flavor, but aren't too overpowering to sit alongside the main course.  The fresh herbs and white wine make them taste very fresh and bright, with just a hint of smoky/salty from the prosciutto.  Enjoy!

White Beans with Prosciutto
From The New Way to Cook Light

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3 tablespoons fat-free chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion to pan; saute 2 minutes.  Add garlic and rosemary; saute 30 seconds.  Add wine; cook until liquid evaporates.  Add broth, pepper, and beans; cook 3 minutes or until beans are thoroughly heated.  Stir in parsley adn prosciutto.

Serves 4: 1 serving is 1/3 cup

Per Serving: 94 cal, 31g fat, 5.9g prot, 10g carb, 2.9g fiber

Salsa Verde Chicken and Dumplings

First of all, a very belated thank you for all the sweet comments about our upcoming move this June.  In all honesty, I'm experiencing a bit of denial.  As excited as I am to go, I'm also sad to leave a place that I'm just now becoming comfortable in.  We've been really lucky to meet some awesome people in New Jersey, not to mention how great it is having NYC so dang close.  But, life is an adventure and I'm ready to soak in all that California has to offer.

And even though I haven't started buying boxes or searching for apartments, I have become painfully aware of how much food I really don't want to move across the country, or throw away.  Once again it's a race against the clock to eat all of the random freezer and pantry items that I tend to collect.  And for some unexplainable reason, I'd managed to accumulate about five big jars of salsa verde.  Every time I go to Trader Joe's I have to buy some, even if I'm already drowning in it.  It's a compulsion.

So I was very excited to find this recipe at Kevin and Amanda's site.  And let me tell you, chicken and dumplings do not get better than this.  So creamy, with big chunks of chicken and soft fluffy dumplings, it's as close to wrapping yourself in a warm blanket as it gets.  The salsa verde adds a great twist, giving it just a big of tang, and a delicious flavor.  My only regret was not adding more veggies in it.  Next time I'll definitely be adding handfuls of carrots, celery and peppers for more nutrition and color.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Dumplings
Borrowed from Kevin and Amanda

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa verde (2 cups)
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk (or 2/3 cup half and half)
18 oz (about 4.5 cups) cooked, chopped chicken, I used rotisserie

For the cornbread:
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 � 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion greens

Directions

1. Sauce: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof skillet. Whisk in the flour to make a paste. Add broth, salsa verde, and evaporated milk (or half and half) and whisk vigorously until thick and bubbly. Stir in chicken and turn heat to low to keep warm.

2. Cornbread: Meanwhile, heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until melted and steamy. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and scallions in a separate bowl with a fork. Pour in milk mixture and stir to form a dough. Drop spoonfuls of dough into the skillet with chicken mixture.

3. Transfer skillet to oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until cornbread is cooked through, and the edges are crisp and golden brown.

Banana Chocolate Chip Baked "Donut Holes"

One great memory I have of my childhood were all the homemade treats my mom made for us as kids.  There was nothing better than walking through the door to the scent of homemade cookies or a fresh batch of muffins.  Any troubles that may have happened at either school or work were immediately forgotten to the promise of a warm baked good in your belly.

Lately I've been trying to offer the same thing to my kids.  The cheers alone when I announce what will be coming out of the oven soon make it all worth it.  These mini banana muffins, or should I say "donut holes" were a particular hit.  I call them donut holes because the original recipe is actually of a baked donut, but since I don't have the right pan for that, this is what we did instead.  Since it's meant to be a baked donut, they are a bit denser and chewier than a traditional cakey muffin.  They are also a snap to make, and use Greek yogurt, adding more protein and less fat.

Banana Chocolate Chip Baked "Donut Holes"
Adapted from Janie's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup Mashed Ripe Banana (Roughly 2 small bananas)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt 
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (Melted)
2 Eggs (Room Temperature)
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 cups White Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips


Topping (If Desired)
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tb Cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325.

Using the electric mixer with whisk attachment, add mashed banana, sugar and Greek yogurt.  Mix until incorporated.

Add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the batter and mix until just incorporated.  Do not overmix.

Using a spatula, fold in chocolate chips.  With a spoon, scoop batter into sprayed mini muffin cups.  Fill until 3/4 full.

Either sprinkle cinnamon sugar on before baking, or dip in melted butter and dip in cinnamon sugar AFTER baking.  I did the first to save on calories, although I have no doubt that the latter choice is amazing.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until mini muffin is slightly springy and golden brown.

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

Is there anything better than a chunk of warm cornbread next to a hot bowl of full flavored chili?  Especially when the cornbread is slightly sweet, soft in texture, and the perfect palate for butter, honey, or jam?  Nope, there really is nothing better!  (Well, except maybe a Swedish massage or an all expense paid trip to Tahiti, but let's focus on the simple things.)

I made this to accompany the delicious Chicken Barley Chili I featured in my previous post.  It was the perfect side kick to the robust flavors.  The pumpkin really does something to the flavor of the cornbread, not to mention the beautiful orange hue it gives.  And forget about dealing with anything dry or crumbling, these are so soft, you could eat them plain, I did!

This whole meal was a total kid pleaser!  I fed five kids with this and every single one of them ate everything, some even asking for seconds.  Definitely a keeper.

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
By Nancy Creative

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup plain yogurt 
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 Tablespoon honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8�8? baking pan or line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and cornmeal (using a whisk to blend these ingredients works well); after blending ingredients well, set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, then stir in the pumpkin puree, plain yogurt, canola oil, molasses, and honey.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Pour batter into the greased 8�8? baking pan, smoothing the top, OR spoon batter into 12 lined muffin cups (each cup should be about 2/3 full of batter).

Bake CORNBREAD (in 8�8? pan) at 375 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or almost clean (be careful not to over-bake cornbread, or it will be too dry).

Bake CORNBREAD MUFFINS at 375 degrees for 14 to 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or almost clean (do not over-bake, or muffins will be too dry and may brown on the bottom).

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili

I'm sitting here thinking of something witty, or charming, or at best, slightly interesting to say.  But it's late, and as my eyes glaze over while I'm staring helplessly at the screen, I suddenly discover that in the picture above you can see my reflection.  In the spoon.  Of me taking said picture.  Ha!

Okay, rather than try to be cute, here goes.  Make this chili!  The flavors in it are so rich and warm and addicting, you will not want to stop eating this.  My son and I happily gobbled this up for lunch two days after eating it for dinner, and that boy hates being fed leftovers.  It's also filling, belly warming, comfort food, without being creamy or too heavy.  Just the thing for those cold snow covered days!

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili
Ever so slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup medium barley (not quick cooking)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
dash cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into bite-size pieces (I used chopped rotisserie chicken)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
garlic salt, to taste, I put that stuff in everything, it's a sickness, I can't help it
chopped cilantro (optional)
shredded cheddar (optional)
tortilla chips (optional)
avocado (optional)

Directions

In a large pot (about 6-quarts), combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, barley, water, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano and cayenne (if using). Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and add the chicken. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer the chili for 40 minutes, until the barley is tender and chewy and the chicken is no longer pink. Stir occasionally, while it simmers to prevent sticking and to make sure it stays at a steady simmer. After 40 minutes, add the beans and corn. Stir to combine and simmer for five more minutes.  Add garlic salt to desired taste.  Serve the chili with optional garnishes, if desired.

The chili will thicken considerably upon cooling. Add chicken broth or water as needed to achieve a desirable consistency (especially if reheating the leftovers).