To Be Skinny or Not to be Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip

Need a great party recipe?? I always do! This is another great find on Pinterest! Man, I have found so many delicious and easy recipes on Pinterest. If you're not using Pinterest, you should just for the recipes! Now I just need to take the time to make them all! I’m working my way through them one by one as quickly as I can. Kind of hard to diet while eating my way through Pinterest.....or  maybe it isn’t with recipes like this one. This great recipe is a low-fat version of Buffalo Dip (and Weight Watchers friendly). Of course you can fatten it up by using non low-fat versions of the sour cream and cream cheese, but I try to save calories where I can so I went with the lower fat versions. With this recipe you don’t lose a bit of flavor with the lower calorie ingredients either. It is so tasty! Want the recipe? I thought you might be, so here it is:

Ingredients:

• 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature 
• 1 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese (I’m not a fan of bleu cheese so I omitted this. Don't tell my hubby this was an option, he loves stinky blue cheese!)
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  2 cups cooked shredded chicken. I used the canned shredded chicken and it tasted great. Why cook a chicken if you don’t have to, right??

Directions: 

Mix first five ingredients together. After these are mixed well, add chicken. Pour into baking dish and cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serve with celery sticks or Triscuits (I love the triangle ones - they're cute too). I served with both to give my party guests options. You can also sprinkle some extra bleu cheese on top as a nice garnish. The bowl was practically licked clean!

Give this a try and let me know what you think. This is definitely a crowd pleaser!!

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf!

Boy was this dinner delicious! I know, I know, I am starting to sound redundant, but I can’t help it, I am learning to cook some good stuff! The hubby has been quite pleased with my creations lately and I want to share them with you guys. Aren’t you happy??  Just look at it, doesn't it look delicious?

I went to Dream Dinners (one of those places where you prepare your meals and take them out in freezer bags) a couple of years ago and one of the items I prepared was a Gorgonzola Meatloaf. When I finally cooked it at home, we loved it. Of course we don’t get to walk out with the recipes so I set out to figure this one out myself. Obviously mine is so much better! Here’s what I think is the perfect meatloaf recipe. I mean, what isn’t better with some cheese, right??? This could be done with Gorgonzola or Feta, or really whatever you please. These two cheese options just go nicely with the other ingredients. Here we go......

Gorgonzola Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound ground beef (of course you could use all beef, but I was making it a tad bit healthier)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 T Italian seasoning

1/2 t granulated garlic

2 eggs

1 can tomato sauce

1-2 cups marinara sauce (any kind)

1 cup gorgonzola cheese (or feta)

Directions

First of all, let’s get all of these ingredients mixed together.  Dump the meat into a large bowl and get ready to get your hands dirty. Add eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic. It’s easiest to use your hands and get in there and mix it all together. After everything is mixed well, but don’t mixed too long, add the 1 can of tomato sauce and mix just a bit longer.

Grease your meatloaf pan and put 1/2 of the meat mixture in the bottom of the pan. Shape to the pan (love my Pampered Chef loaf pan). Sprinkle the cup of gorgonzola over this layer of your meat mixture.

Now put the rest of the meat mixture on top and shape to the pan. Once this is complete top the meatloaf with the  marinara sauce. It depends on how saucy you like your meatloaf, but I used close to 2 cups on the top.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check the center with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done.

I served this with broccoli and home made macaroni and cheese (recipe coming later) and I wanted to lick my plate afterwards! Of course we ate to much and groaned later, but it was worth every bite!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Also, I wrote this recipe from scratch so let me know if I left out some super important steps! Makes sense to me, but I just made it.


Happy Baking!

Chicken, Tomato & Feta Bake

This is another delicious recipe to spice up your week night dinner.  Let’s just get this straight, I won’t put anything on this blog if it isn’t delicious! Okay, now that we all know that, let’s talk about this yummy chicken, tomato and feta bake. Everything is better with feta, right?? Love it! I found a chicken & feta bake in a South Beach cookbook once, but it was very boring so I decided to kick it up a notch and this is where I landed.

Ingredients

4 chicken breast (of course you can make with more or less). I used boneless and skinless to be a little healthier.

1 T lemon juice

4-6 leaves of fresh basil. If you don’t have fresh, use a teaspoon of dried or just more italian seasoning.

2 cloves minced garlic

1 t Italian seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes (I used tomatoes seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano – who doesn’t want more added flavor??). Use 2 cans if you add more chicken.

1/4 c feta

salt and pepper

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped (reserved until the end)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Arrange chicken in a 13 x 9 baking dish

Drizzle chicken with the lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic, basil

Spoon on can of tomatoes on top of chicken. I reserved half of the liquid. It was a bit much, but if you are serving with something like pasta or spaghetti squash, use all of the liquid and it will make a great sauce.

Cook 15 minutes, remove, sprinkle on feta, and cook remaining 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with fresh parsley. Make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly using a meat thermometer. Looks pretty yummy, right?

I served with fresh asparagus and it was such a delicious dinner! Try it and let me know how you liked it.

More great recipes coming soon......

My Version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

Come on, fess up, who doesn’t love the Olive Garden?? We’ve all been there, just admit it. Sure, there are better Italian restaurants out there, but the OG has some pretty tasty dishes. I mean, who doesn’t want unending breadsticks and salad? Oh wait, I don’t! I’m allergic to lettuce (yes, I am!) so I’ve always ordered the soup instead. Their Zuppa Toscana soup is my favorite and so delicious! When David and I were first married I would stop by after work just to pick up soup and breadsticks. A great meal on a chilly night.....or really anytime. It has such a light and creamy broth, chunks of sausage and potato. Delish! I decided to search the internet and find a copycat recipe. I found a lot! I took bits and pieces from several recipes and made it my own.  Doesn’t the soup look delicious???

Here’s my altered version of the recipe.....

Ingredients:

Start with 6 c of chicken broth. I added an extra cup at the end (7 cup total) but not sure that it needed it.

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 – 1 1/2 t red pepper flakes ( I used 1 t and it had a nice kick)

1 t dried oregano

2 cloves garlic minced

4 red potatoes – unpeeled and sliced very thinly

1 large onion – diced

1 bunch of kale, torn into small pieces (or 16 oz bag) – okay, that’s what the recipe called for, but I probably used about 4 cups. Just depends on what you like. I probably could have used a bit more.

2 T fresh parsley

1 cup heavy cream (OR 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup evaporated milk for a lower calorie version, which I preferred)

Directions:

• Cook sausage and onion in pot, add garlic at the end. I left the sausage in big chunks because that’s what I remember from the Olive Garden.
• Drain – or not. If it isn’t too greasy, then leave it for flavor.
• Add broth, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano and potatoes to pot and cook for about 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
• Add kale and cook until wilted in soup
• Add cream or milk and simmer about 10 minutes
• Add fresh parsley and serve

Enjoy! This turned out so much better than I expected. I’ll be making this again really soon!

Stew on Stew - the BEST Brunswick Stew

As you know by now, I love to post pictures of my food! Well, things aren’t changing today. I’m from a small town, Thomaston, GA, where the best Brunswick Stew in the world is made. I’m not exaggerating, this is a fact! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration since I haven’t traveled the world, but I have done A LOT of sampling to do the research and Piggie Park wins every time! Piggie Park has been a favorite of mine since my high school days in Thomaston. It’s an old fashion drive-in that’s been around since the 1950’s. No, I didn’t go to high school in the 50’s so don’t ask. But let’s do talk about the stew. Seriously, this is the best stew EVER! It is so full of meat and just plain ole deliciousness! I’ve even taught my husband to love it and he wasn’t a stew fan, but he is now. We are in town celebrating my dad’s 80th birthday and picked up dinner for everyone tonight, in addition we picked up 8 pints of stew to take back to Virginia! It’s THAT good people! Take a look.......

Yummy Goat Cheese and Zucchini Appetizer from Pinterest

Don't you just love Pinterest?? For a recent party with my peeps I decided to make a few appetizers that I found on Pinterest. Yes, I have a lot of time on my hands! I LOVE Pinterest for recipes. So many great ideas out there.  Find it, love it, share it, pin it! I’m not really sure what to do on all of my other boards, but the recipes I’ve figured out. One of the recipes that made my mouth water were these goat cheese and zucchini appetizers. I love me some goat cheese and it’s just a bonus to have it paired with zucchini. Throw in some roasted red pepper and it's the holy trinity!  (Found that suggestion on Pinterest too). How delicious does that sound?? I’ll tell you how delicious.....VERY VERY Delicious! Look how pretty they look on the platter too.

Want the recipe? Here you go:

Should make about 20-25 bites. It really depends on how many you eat while you are making them. I kept taking a little sample here and there.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium zucchini
• 8-ounce log of plain goat cheese
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
• A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped
• Toothpicks 

Directions:

Make the herb goat cheese - In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, green onions, rosemary and thyme.  Cover and return to refrigerator until ready to use.  I’m sure dried herbs or goat cheese with herbs already added would be fine, but since I have an herb garden in my kitchen now that I'm practically a chef, I added fresh.

Slice the ends off each zucchini.  Thinly slice the zucchini into long flat strips using a mandolin slicer. Discard slices that are mostly peel.  (I don’t have a mandolin slicer because they scare me so I used one of those cheese slices with wire on the end. It sliced them perfectly thin and I still have all my limbs).

Grill or broil the zucchini slices for a few minutes on each side, until slightly browned. I didn't have time to crank up the grill so I broiled for a few minutes.  This will make the zucchini pliable enough to work with. Remove cooked zucchini slices onto paper towels.  Let cool for a few minutes.

Spread a spoonful of the herb goat cheese onto each zucchini slice, leaving a bit of zucchini on one end without cheese.  If you want to add a slice of roasted red pepper, do so here and place it in the center of the zucchini slice.

Tip: it's best to have the goat cheese at room temperature before you spread it. The zucchini tends to want to tear a little so be gentle.

Roll up each zucchini slice towards the cheese-less end, secure with a toothpick and voila!

Lunching at Croaker's Spot

One good thing about not having a job is that it allows me to have time to lunch with some of my besties! Today my friend, Terry, and I went to one of our all time favorite places for lunch....Croaker’s Spot. People of Richmond, if you haven’t been here.....GO! It is awesome! In addition to cupcakes, you’ll learn that I love me some fried fish too. I am a southern girl after all. Catfish is my favorite, but I’ll eat any of it and call it all catfish! Right Terry?

Today Terry and I mixed it up. We ordered each other’s favorite dishes. Don’t worry, I took pictures of both so you could really experience it with us. Croaker’s Spot is known for their fish boats. Now they claim that a 2 piece boat comes with two pieces of fried fish (let’s call it catfish), but you will find that it comes with 3 or 4. Never just two. Yet another reason we love this place. This is my go-to dish, but Terry ordered this one today. Can you believe she didn’t even toss me a piece of that fish?? Just look how yummy it looks. It's very photogenic.

I decided to get Terry’s favorite, scallops and grits, and not offer her any either. Oopps, sorry Terry.  How delicious do scallops and grits sound?? Well, if you’re thinking pretty dang delicious, then you’d be right. It comes with a gigantic serving of cheese grits and the biggest slab of sweet cornbread you’ve ever seen. BTW, the corn bread is so good it will make you want to slap someone! I refrained and didn’t slap Terry, but dang that stuff is good! And if you ask nicely, they’ll bring you out this warm honey sugary syrup to pour over it. I didn’t need it because it is plenty sweet enough, but it’s not a bad option.

As you can imagine, I’m pretty full and leaning towards a light dinner this evening. Maybe some kale chips and air!

The BEST Dinner Ever!

I’m so excited to finally have my blog up and running after so MANY of my friends have been after me to do this. You’re welcome Allison and Michelle. I love to photograph my food and share it on Facebook so why not blog about it and have a space where I can give you all of the juicy details?? So here I am, posting my second blog about food on the same night. Can you tell I’m excited to write about food??

Let’s talk (okay, I’ll be the only one talking, but I didn’t want to sound rude) about my dinner tonight. The hubby was quite pleased. No, that doesn’t do it justice, he thought it was DE-licious!! Just so you know, I was laid off 6 months ago and since then have been watching a lot, and I mean A LOT, of the Food Network and experimenting in the kitchen.....with cooking. I’ll have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself. So, let’s chat about tonight’s dinner. My friend, Giada De Laurentis, taught me how to make Linguini with Shrimp, Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes one day while I was overdosing on the Food Network. Sure, Giada has a few TV shows, many years of experience, and is a Chef to the stars, but I still took the liberty of making some changes to her recipe. I mean, I’m practically a Chef after watching the Food Network non-stop for six months. This turned out to be one of the best dishes I’ve ever made! It was such a light and flavorful sauce and so colorful! Like my other friend, Paula Deen, says, you eat with your eyes first and this dish was gorgeous! I highly recommend!

Like I mentioned in the recipe below, I used linguine because Giada told me to, but next time I’ll use spaghetti or rotini.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound linguine (I used whole grain linguine, but think I’ll use spaghetti next time)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Two 12-ounce bags cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic, flattened and chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (or one bunch of kale like I used)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen shrimp from Wal-mart – fancy)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil ( I used about 5 fresh basil leaves and 2 teaspoons of dried)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (I omitted because I’m not a fan of mint)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (used dried - remember to rub in your hands to release the oils before adding to pot)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Smoosh all the tomatoes with a fork. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the wine and asparagus (this is where I added kale. Cook just enough to wilt). Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the shrimp with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the basil, mint and oregano.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Super Cute and Easy Easter Cupcakes

We had an 80's Game Night Party (80's Scene It - super fun) so I decided to make some cute cupcakes. What better party food than a cupcake?? As you'll find out about me, I LOVE me some cupcakes!

I have the best pound cake recipe in the world (stolen from my dad - cream cheese poundcake - delish!) so I decided to make those into cupcakes, throw on some cream cheese icing, color it in fun Easter colors and top with Peeps and here's the result. Cute, right?? How do you make a cupcake even better......throw on a Peep!