Category Archives: food

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Posted on by Run DMT
1

PhotobucketYou will seriously love this breakfast casserole recipe and you will want to bookmark it or pin it for sure.  Go ahead.  I’ll wait.

Because this breakfast is so tasty and such a crowd-pleaser, I’ve made it twice just this month for family and friends.  Seriously, it’s that good.  And the best part, it’s low fat.  You’re pinning it now, aren’t you?  I knew I would have you at “low-fat”.

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Eat Yourself Skinny, but I was happy to find her low-fat recipes, especially her healthier version to a brunch classic.  However, I had to modify her recipe because I can’t eat breakfast sausage that contains MSG due to my sensitivity to it.  So, I substituted the reduced-fat pork sausage for an even lower fat option: Al Fresco Country Style Chicken Breakfast Sausage.

I also used a half loaf of Publix White Mountain bread because I thought the thick, dense bread would make a wonderful base for the casserole.  Both substitutions were spot-on and like I said, a real crowd pleaser.

All you need is a mimosa to wash it down.

Low-Fat Egg and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

(Adpated from Eat Yourself Skinny)

Ingredients

1 package Al Fresco Country Style Chicken Breakfast Sausage

1 medium onion, diced

2 eggs

4 egg whites

2 cups fat-free milk

1 ½ tsp spicy brown mustard

½ tsp Kosher salt

¼  tsp ground black pepper

½ loaf of dense, crusty bread cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups (8 oz) reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.  Prepare a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In large skillet, stir and sauté onions until translucent.

As onions cook, slice sausage links into quarters.  Slice each link into quarters lengthwise and then slice each quarter strip into small bite size morsels.  Add to onions.  Stir and warm through.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir in the bread cubes, cheese and sausage mixture.  Pour into baking dish.

Bake at uncovered for about 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Watch closely for the last ten minutes to avoid overcooking or burning the casserole.

Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.  Serve with Tabasco or fresh salsa.

Makes 12 servings.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Progressive Picnic: Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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6

Roll out the picnic blankets and bring an appetite for the blogosphere’s first ever Progressive Picnic Blog Hop!

For this virtual picnic, each foodie blogger listed below is offering a different menu item.  Click on the links and be prepared to lick your lips as your eyes feast on an assortment of delicious dishes.

Camille from Growing Up Gabel is offering an appetizer, Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates.

Courtney from Peace, Love, Recipes is bringing the beverage, Red, White and Blue Sangria.

Ruthie from What’s Cooking With Ruthie is supplying the side dish, Picnic Perfect Potato Salad.

Heather of Hezzi-D’s Cooks and Books is dishing out the dessert, White Chocolate Brownies.

And yours truly is serving up the main dish, Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips

½ tsp Kosher salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 large yellow or white onion cut Asian style

1 red bell pepper cored and cut into thin strips

¼ cup tamari or low sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp honey

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 cup cooked Jasmine rice

Leafy green lettuce (Romaine or Bibb)

Directions

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet on a medium high heat.  Add chicken strips and season with salt and pepper.  Stir-fry for a few minutes to sear the meat at the edges.  Then, add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for two minutes more.  Add the red bell pepper and cook until softened.  Add onions and stir fry for few minutes.  Once onions are soft, add tamari and honey.  Together, they should form a caramel colored sauce as they deglaze the pan.  Stir to coat chicken with the sauce.  Remove from heat and stir in basil.  The heat from the pan will cook and wilt the basil.

Using the leafy part of the lettuce, drop a Tbsp on cooked Jasmine rice in the center of the lettuce.  Then, add spoonful of the Thai Basil Chicken and gently drizzle some sauce from the skillet over the mixture.  Roll lettuce to form wrap and place on a serving platter. Continue with remaining stir-fry and serve.  If any sauce is remaining in skillet, pour it into a ramekin to use as a dipping sauce.

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Posted on by Run DMT
4

PhotobucketI seriously love Spanish food.  For me, Spanish food is comfort food, like someone’s else mac and cheese.  Throw a bunch of ingredients together and it’s like a latino’s version of a casserole.  Not to mention, there’s just something about the saffron that just makes me happy.

I’m just mad about Saffron. 

So when I found this easy, low-fat version of a Spanish classic, I had to give it a whirl.  Thankfully, my family loved it and now this meal is a regular on our weekly dinner menu.

Now, if I was a better latina, I would go to the bodega to buy my chorizo, but I’m too lazy for that, which is just sad really because there’s a bodega on every corner in Tampa.  However, there is really no need for me to make an extra trip to the bodega, except to support small business owners which I really should instead of giving money to big corporation.

But in one weekly shopping trip to my local Target, I can buy MSG-free Archer Farms Chorizo Sausage as well as pick up a allergy medication, tampons, a cute sundress, some new sandals for my kids and deeply discounted running clothes.  See how I save money shopping at Target?

But this post is about paella not summer deals at Target.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella (Pollo y Chorizo Paella)

(Borrowed from So Easy by Ellie Krieger)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 chorizo sausage links

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups low-sodium free range chicken broth

½ cup frozen peas

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 ripe tomato, chopped

¼ sliced green Spanish olives with pimentos

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

Pinch of Saffron threads

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Using a large, heavy skillet with lid, heat olive oil in skillet on a medium heat.  Add chorizo links and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown.  Remove links from skillet and slice into ½ inch round slices.  Return chorizo to skillet and add chicken.  Cook both meats together for about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink on outside.  Transfer chicken and chorizo to a plate.

Add onions to skillet and cook, stirring often until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  (There should be enough oil in the pan left from the chorizo, but if need be, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to skillet.)  Add garlic and cook for about a minute.  Return chicken and chorizo to skillet and add chicken broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, salt, pepper, turmeric and saffron.  Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to oven.  Cook until rice is tender and the liquid is completely absorbed, 25-45 minutes*.

*Time may vary depending on oven.  This dish takes closer to 45 minutes in my oven.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Mexican Wedding Cakes for Cinco de Mayo

Posted on by Run DMT
10

PhotobucketMy family and I are participating in a Mexican-themed race today called the Crazy Sombrero.  Afterwards, one of our friends is hosting a post-race party where all the guests were asked to being a snack to share for the fiesta.

What to bring?  What to bring?  Margaritas?  Mexican Lasagna?  

As I flipped through the Mexican-flare recipe cards in my mind, I recalled the potluck luncheons from my early teaching days. Back then, I taught in a very rural community of Dade City with a large population of migrant workers, mostly Mexican and some were part of our school’s staff.  Thanks to the lovely senoras on staff, Mexican Wedding Cakes were always part of the potluck and they were delicious.  Similar in texture to a shortbread (Scottish, not Martha’s), they were a tasty light, flaky buttery cookie.

So, to pay homage to my Mexican homies, I tried my hand at Mexican Wedding Cakes like the senoras used to bake.  Traditionally, these cookies are made with pecans or walnuts, but due to my nut allergy, I chose to use almonds instead.

Before beginning the cookie batter, I roasted the almonds on an ungreased baking sheet at 325° for about 10 minutes for a rich fragrance but not burnt.

I let the roasted almonds cool completely before I chopped them in a food processor for a fine, almost mealy texture.

Using a standing electric mixer, I combined the butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, ground nuts and flour.  Then, I rolled them into 2-inch balls and baked them for about 15 minutes until the edges were golden brown.

I let the cookies set and cool for a few minutes before rolling them in powdered sugar.  Once coated with a light layer of confectioners’ sugar, I returned them to the cooling rack.

Honestly, Mexican Wedding Cakes are so easy to make and I think the senoras would be quite pleased with my cookies.  They tasted just like I remembered.  It’s funny how one small taste can send you back in time.

Me gustan mucho.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds), toasted and finely ground (See above.)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup confectioners’ sugar for topping

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grease or line two cookie baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

Using a standing electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until well combined.  Then, add finely ground nuts and mix on a low setting for about 15 seconds.  Add flour and mix on a low setting until well combined.

Shape into 1-2 inch balls and arrange about 1 ¼ inch apart on the baking sheets.  Bake one at a time until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Remove sheet from oven and cool on a wired rack for about 5 minutes.

While still warm but cool enough to handle, roll each cookie in confectioners’ sugar and return to cooling rack.  Just before serving, sift additional confectioners’ sugar over cookies.

Yields about 2 dozen

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



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Sweet Tooth Friday

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Skinnytaste’s Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Posted on by Run DMT
7

PhotobucketMan, do I love rollatini.  I’ll eat anything rolled up like a pinwheel.  Stuff it with some ricotta and eggplant, bread it and fry it up and it’s a delicious artery clogging meal that I want curl up with like a snuggly blanket.  Talk about getting wrapped up in your food!

Finally, eating rollatini doesn’t have to clog any arteries or make us round like the rollatini we love.  Thanks to Skinnytaste, we have a few low-fat rollatini options.  This week, I decided to try Skinnytaste’s Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella.

I started by shredding the zucchini in the food processor.  Then, I sautéed it in some garlic and olive oil and then added some parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

I prepared the chicken by pounding it out to approximately a quarter inch thick and cut each breast into 4×6 inch fillets.

Then, I added the zucchini mixture in the center of each fillet.

I rolled it up, dipped it in an olive oil and lemon juice wash and covered it a parmesan breadcrumb mix.

I baked it until golden brown and served it with mashed cauliflower for a low carb side dish.  (I know.  I know. I still have to share my mashed cauliflower recipe.)

It was so delicious.  It’s hard to believe something this tasty is low-fat.  Next time, I’ll go for the full carb effect and serve it with a side of pasta for a meal with a more Italian flare rather than mashed cauliflower.

 

Skinnytaste’s Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

(Adapted from Skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients

For the filling
1 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 ½ (1 medium) zucchini, shredded

¼ cup Romano or parmesan cheese

3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb chicken breasts

 

For the breading

½  cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp Romano or parmesan cheese

1 lemon, juice of

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and fresh pepper

Olive oil non-stick spray

 

Directions

Wash and dry cutlets.  Wrap breasts in cling film.  Then, using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts until thin, about a ¼ inch in thickness.  Trim the flatten breast to approximately 4 x 6 inch fillets.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then sauté garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and sauté about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 Tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish. (No toothpicks needed.) Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes.

 

What meals did you get wrapped up in this week?  

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



 

Psssst…Did you hear?

My shortbread candy bars were this week’s Project Pinterest pick. WOOHOO! Yay me! :-)

It's on the Tip of My Tongue

*Also submitted at*


Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Martha Stewart’s Shortbread Candy Bars

Posted on by Run DMT
11

PhotobucketI married a snob, but I knew he was a snob when I married him.  He’s been turning his nose up at Dunkin’ Donuts coffee for years and when it comes to beer, only craft beer will pass his palette.  Like I said, I’ve known this for years, however, I only recently discovered that he is a shortbread snob.

Growing up in the UK, Iron Chef Allan probably had his share of wonderful homemade Scottish shortbread, especially since his Granny and Mum make some delicious buttery, crumbly shortbread, which may explain why he refuses anything other than traditional Scottish shortbread.

When I told him about this Martha Stewart shortbread recipe I found on Pinterest, he immediately replied, “Well that won’t be good.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s Martha Stewart.  She can’t just do traditional shortbread.  She’s got to change somehow.”

“Well, she does use brown sugar instead of white sugar.”

“See.”

“And she uses coarse salt.  What’s coarse salt?”

“See, it just can’t be traditional Scottish shortbread.  She has to add coarse salt because everyday table salt just won’t do.  Totally f*cking Martha Stewart.”

I have to admit.  I was a little nervous about this recipe.  I’ve never made any Martha dishes before this one.  But before I began baking, I had to learn why she used coarse salt.  So with a quick Google search, I stumbled upon Baking Bites which explained the reason for the substitution.

Coarse salt (also known as Kosher salt or sea salt) has less sodium than table salt.

Coarse salt adds a dramatic contrast the sweetness.

Of course, I immediately reported my findings to Iron Chef Allan.  “Coarse salt is just Kosher or sea salt and it adds contrast to the sweetness of the dish.”

“Well, she couldn’t just say Kosher salt, now could she?  Totally f*cking Martha Stewart.”

He continued grumbling over Martha Stewart as I began to bake her shortbread.

I originally found this recipe around Halloween as an clever way to use leftover Halloween candy.  Since I have piles of Easter candy in my pantry, I decided to add some springtime flare to the recipe.

For the baking portion, I followed the recipe as is, however, I got a bit more creative with the toppings.  I used my kids’ chocolate bunnies for the chocolate spread.

By doing so, I believe I may have traumatized my children in the process.

Yep, I boiled the bunny.  Using a double boiler, I melted their bunnies to create a chocolaty layer to spread over the shortbread.

Then, I smashed some Cadbury Mini Eggs and sprinkled them on top.

The results were surprisingly delicious and the coarse salt really was nice contrast to the sweetness.  BUT, it doesn’t taste like traditional Scottish shortbread.  These bars have a blondie-like texture and therefore, they did not pass the Iron Chef Allan taste test.

Whatever.  They are incredible and all mine.

Damn you, f*cking Martha Stewart.

 

Martha Stewart’s Shortbread (but certainly NOT Scottish Shortbread) Candy Bars

(Adapted from marthastewart.com)

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 ¼ tsp coarse salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used approximately two small 4 oz. chocolate bunnies, chopped and a ½ cup of milk chocolate chips for the chocolate layer.)

2 cups assorted chocolate candies or roughly chopped candy bars or pieces (I used Cadbury Mini Eggs.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8-inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. With mixer on low, add flour in three additions and beat until combined (dough will be crumbly).

Press dough evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake until golden brown and firm, 30 to 35 minutes.  Remove from oven a set on cooling rack.

While shortbread cools, melt chocolate in double-boiler. Once melted completely to a creamy and smooth texture, pour over shortbread.  With a spatula, spread chocolate evenly over shortbread.  Scatter candy pieces over top.

Refrigerate briefly to set chocolate.  Cut into 16 bars.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Sweet Tooth Friday

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Potato Balls

Posted on by Run DMT
9

PhotobucketYou know how I’m always stealing permanently borrowing cookbooks from my MIL?  Well, I’ve taken it another step further.  Now, I’m stealing her balls.

Last Sunday for Easter, my MIL threw together a gorgeous spread, which included three meats (lamb, ham and chicken), a number of veggies and two kinds of potatoes.  Yes, you heard me right. Two kinds of potatoes!  One was a delicious cheesy layered scalloped potato casserole.  The other spud she called “French-Style Potatoes” to sound all posh, but to the rest of the family, these potatoes will be forever known as “Potato Balls”.

Obviously, French-Style Potatoes has a nice ring to it, but there’s no disputing the salty, heavenly taste of these balls in your mouth.  (Sounds like the infamous Schweddyy Balls from Saturday Night Live, doesn’t?)

A few days later, I decided to try my hand at these balls.  Although my MIL preferred to handle hers with butter, I chose to lather mine in olive oil.

Ok enough with the innuendoes!  To start, I par-boiled the potatoes until a bit firmer than fork tender.  For portion control, I only boiled 6 medium sized potatoes for my family of five.

Then, using the larger end of a melon baller, I scooped and rolled out some potato.

Then, I tossed those bad boys into some pre-heated olive oil in an electric griddle and cooked them until crispy.

These potato balls present well and are a tasty companion to any meat dish.   For this meal, I served it as a side dish to my Mojo Chicken.  And don’t worry.  I didn’t serve two potatoes.  That’s mashed cauliflower as the other side dish, but more about that lovely carb substitute another day.

 

Elizabeth’s Posh Potato Balls

(serves 4)

Ingredients

1-2 lb medium size baking potatoes

¼ – ½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Par-boil potatoes until slightly firmer than fork tender.  Drain and allow potatoes to cool.  Using a melon baller, scoop out small amounts of potato.

Heat about ¼ – ½ cup olive oil at 350° in a electric griddle.  Toss in the potato balls and occasionally flip potatoes as they sauté in the oil. Cook until crispy and golden brown (about 20 minutes).

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Heart-Healthy Spinach Avocado Egg Salad

Posted on by Run DMT
13

PhotobucketAfter Easter Sunday, you’ll have a dozen or so colored hard boiled eggs hanging around and if you’re like me, you’ll want to make egg salad with them.  It sounds a bit like a children’s book, doesn’t it?  If you give a mom a dozen Easter eggs, she’ll probably make egg salad with them. 

Although traditional egg salad is delicious, it’s not the healthiest with all the mayo added to make it tasty.  Enter an avocado spinach egg salad made with half an avocado, spinach, plain non-fat yogurt and 1 hardboiled egg.

Every week, there is some study stating if eggs are good for you or not.  Eggs may be associated with high cholesterol but eggs are high in Vitamin D and Omega-3 and that’s pretty good if you don’t get enough fish in your diet, like me.  Toss in an avocado and spinach also rich in vitamins and lowering-cholesterol minerals and you’ve got a reason to celebrate all those left over Easter eggs.

I found this recipe on Pinterest pinned via We Are Not Martha.  The original recipe uses seven eggs, but I modified it for one serving.  If you want to make a big batch of it at once, follow We Are Not Martha’s recipe.  Since I’m the only one in this house that will eat this, I prefer to make it fresh each time and I always eat it right out of the bowl…even for breakfast.

Heart-Healthy Spinach Avocado Egg Salad

Ingredients

1 hardboiled egg, coarsely chopped

¼ cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped

½ Haas avocado, mashed

1 Tbsp plain non-fat yogurt

Dash crushed red pepper flakes

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

 

Directions

Mash half a Hass avocado in a medium sized bowl.  Add all chopped ingredients, red pepper flakes and yogurt. Mix until well combined.  Add salt and pepper.

Serve as a dip, in a wrap or on toasted whole grain bread.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!


*Also submitted at*


Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Grape Soda Cupcakes

Posted on by Run DMT
13

PhotobucketWhen Kirsten and I planned a purple picnic for our girls to celebrate Purple Day, purple cupcakes were on the menu.  And since I’ve become quite the baker these days, I wanted to try my hand at a new cake recipe.

So as I perused the aisles of my favorite Publix supermarket to pick another box of King Arthur Cake Flour, I spotted a special low price for Publix Grape Soda (2 for $1) and then my wheels got to spinning.  How could I do something really different besides a plain ol’ white cake with purple frosting?   I’ve heard of cupcakes with Mountain Dew as an ingredient, but can you make cupcakes with grape soda?  With a quick Google search in supermarket (yet another reason to love smart phones), I stumbled upon a Grape Soda Cupcakes by The Kitchen Magpie.

Once I purchased all my ingredients including Publix Grape Soda and a package of purple Peeps, I had a little look around The Kitchen Magpie later that day and I adored her site, her stories and all her recipes.  However, for this particular recipe, I had to tweak it a bit because the directions were hard for me to follow as it was written like she was telling the recipe over the phone to a friend rather than actual directions.  Since I’m new to cooking and baking, I lack the intuitiveness that most bakers have (or are even born with) to know how create a cake masterpiece.  Therefore, I had to really read through it, understand it and reword it to where I could follow it with ease.

With my modifications, I also used less purple food coloring than the original recipe stated as I was trying to limit my kids’ overexposure to Red #40 and Blue #1.

For icing, I followed the Joy of Cooking “Quick White Icing”, which can also be found at theJoyKitchen.com.

In the end, I had the grape soda cupcakes I hoped for our Purple Day Picnic and the results were perfectly purplicious and delicious.

Grape Soda Cupcakes
(Adapted from The Kitchen Magpie)

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 cups cake flour

1 tsp vanilla

½  tsp baking soda

½  tsp of salt

½  tsp baking powder

1 ¾  cups Publix Brand Grape Soda

Neon Food coloring pack

24 cupcake liners

Butter cream frosting (see below)

Purple Peeps or purple cake sprinkles

 

Directions

In a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well blended.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add vanilla.

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in another bowl.

If using purple liquid food coloring, add a few drops to the egg batter to achieve desired color.  (Add a few drops for a lavender shade.  Add more drops for a darker violet shade.)

Then add the flour mixture and grape soda to the batter in mixer, alternating and ending with the flour mixture.

Ladle batter into cupcake liners about three-quarters full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Cool completely.

Once cooled, add icing and decorate as desired.

Yields 24 cupcakes.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Sweet Tooth Friday

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Pollo Relleno

Posted on by Run DMT
10

PhotobucketRemember how I told you I steal borrow cookbooks from my MIL on a permanent basis?  Well, this recipe is from one of her cookbooks that found a new home on my kitchen counter.

Better Homes and Gardens: Fast & Fresh Family Dinners offers many recipes that are truly fast and fresh as well as simple and healthy.  All which are important factors with my busy runner mother lifestyle with three kids.

My favorite recipe so far from Better Homes and Gardens : Fast & Fresh Family Dinners is Pollo Relleno, but then I love anything Tex Mex.

When I make this meal for my family, I always serve it with a side of Spanish rice.  It’s a wonderful accompaniment to the chicken and it just finishes the meal off perfectly.  For my kids, I add a dollop of light sour cream to hide the heat.  And to really finish it off, top it off with some of Rachel Ray’s Salsa Fresca.  Yum.  Es muy bueno.

This dish is gluten free as no wheat products were used in the making of this meal, however, it is definitely not dairy free.


Pollo Relleno

Ingredients

6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 ½ pounds)

½ yellow cornmeal

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

1 4-ounce can whole green chile peppers, rinsed, seeded and cut half lengthwise (6 pieces total)

2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese cut into six 2 x ½ strips

2 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or parsley

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

Salsa

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack, Colby Jack or cheddar cheese (optional)

Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce (optional)

Light sour cream (optional)


Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  Prepare a shallow baking pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken piece between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound lightly with flat side of meat mallet until ¼ inch thick.  Remove plastic wrap and repeat with other chicken pieces.

In a shallow bowl, combine well cornmeal, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt.  Place eggs in another shallow bowl; beat lightly to make an egg wash.

For each chicken roll, place a chili pepper half on piece near edge.  Place a cheese stick on top of chili pepper.  Sprinkle with some of the snipped cilantro or parsley, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.  Fold in sides, starting from edge with cheese, roll up chicken.

Dip chicken rolls into egg wash and roll in cornmeal mixture to coat.  Place rolls, seam sides down, in a prepared shallow baking pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Serve on a bed on shredded lettuce with a side Spanish rice.  Sprinkle rolls with shredded cheese and some Salsa Fresca.  Add a dollop of light sour cream and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro for garnish.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*


Denise Mestanza-Taylor+