Grilled Cheese with Pesto

I saw this recipe here at eat your veggies, peas. It looked so similar to my favorite sandwich ever- Cafe Zupas' Grilled Cheese- that I knew I had to try it. My picture just doesn't do it justice:

The girl who posted this recipe said she's had it for lunch every day for a week. I think I might have the same problem, because I'm pretty sure it's gonna be made again today. It's soooo good!

sourdough bread

mozzarella cheese

pesto

Brianna's blush wine vinaigrette

Butter the bread on the outsides. Brush 1-2 tsp vinaigrette on the inside of one piece of bread. On the other, spread pesto and top with shredded mozzarella. Press together and cook on panini press or George Foreman (that worked great for us).

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

I know I've posted a chicken pot pie recently, and Carrie made some changes and posted a new form of it as well. And then Mel from Mel's Kitchen Cafe went ahead and posted this similar recipe that I knew I would be trying.

It was awesome. It was also time-consuming. Just warning ya.

Also, it did not re-heat well. So the next time you need a big 9x13 pan full of food and have family or friends over, this would be great to ensure it all gets eaten up. (Again, assuming you have about 2 hours to prepare it that day.) Or if you're taking dinner in to someone, you could split the recipe into two 8x8 dishes.

The best part of this recipe is the cheesy crumble/biscuit topping. I fell in love with it. I think it would also be a great topping over a cheesy veggie soup or creamy chicken noodle soup. Lots of possibilities there.

I made two changes: First, I added potatoes. About three small potatoes, peeled and cubed. Second, I cooked my chicken in the oven on low for a few hours and used fresh chicken broth in the recipe. I have a hard time adding the same chicken broth I've just cooked the chicken in to a recipe. Totally grosses me out.

Here you go. Don't say I didn't warn you about all the steps to this one:

Chicken and Sauce:
1 ½ pounds chicken (about three medium-size chicken breasts)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
½ cup flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen peas

Crumble Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream

To prepare the chicken, place the chicken and broth in a large Dutch oven or pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is just done (don’t overcook or it will dry out) – about 10-12 minutes. Alternately, if you are planning in advance, you can place the chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Transfer the cooked chicken to a medium bowl. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve. Return the pot to the stovetop (no need to wash if you used it to cook the chicken).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Sprinkle the chilled butter pieces over the top of the flour. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the cream and stir until just combined. Crumble the mixture into irregularly shaped pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crumble topping until fragrant and starting to brown, about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Set aside.

For the filling, heat the olive oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.

Over medium heat melt the butter in the empty pot. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat and stir the chicken, vegetables and peas into the sauce.

Pour the mixture into a 9×13 pan. Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the filling. Place the 9X13-inch pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until the topping is well browned, about 15-20 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Cream Pasta

This is my go-to recipe for dinner. I've made this a bunch of times lately, and it's safe to say it's my kids' favorite dinner. Besides the broccoli, but one of these days they'll eat it.

I played around with a couple recipes and came up with this. You can add chicken to this if you're on top of things- but I'm not usually and thus it's meat-free a lot.

12 oz. penne

4 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use granules+water)
1-2 cups broccoli florets (depending on how much broccoli you want)
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (from the can- I tried grating it fresh once and it actually ruined this dish)
Juice of one lemon (or more to taste)

In a large pot, add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If using frozen broccoli, add it at this step.)

Add the broccoli and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, (and the chicken if you added it) and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and everything is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated parmesan.

San Francisco Chops (Crockpot)

Another hit from Mel's Kitchen Cafe! Super easy, super yummy. Because it cooks all day in the crockpot, the meat is so tender and flavorful, which was refreshing for pork chops. We loved it!

I followed the recipe exactly, but would change a few things slightly next time. She says you absolutely cannot omit the red pepper flakes, so I didn't. However, next time I would put about half that amount in. I was fine, but my kids said it was too hot. I might also reduce the soy sauce and add more water to make up for it. It was just too kicky for my kids.

This serves 4 barely! You might want to double for a bigger family.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Hot Cooked Rice, for serving

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.

Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.

Homemade Pudding

Oh my goodness. Carrie and I both made this in the past week, and we both loved it. We found the recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe as usual! Carrie says I have to put that it was a bit too chocolate-y for her. And for me, it was divine. I literally could have licked the bowl clean. So here's the verdict: if you don't mind things rich, go for the full 1 cup of chocolate chips. If you don't like things uber-sweet, maybe reduce to 3/4 c.

*Makes about 4 cups of pudding

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or regular)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups whole milk (I used 1% milk and it was just fine)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or 6 ounces bar milk chocolate chopped)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt, whisking lightly. Whisk in the milk and cream to the sugar mixture until it is smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking or stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is at a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened and large bubbles pop at the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to avoid a skin starting to form. Refrigerate the pudding until it is completely cool, at least 4 hours but up to 3 days, if it is stored in an airtight container. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream…or not.

Soft Pretzel Bites

I got this recipe off Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and it turned out pretty good! I have made pretzels a few times and they never turn out super good. These were good, and I would make them again! My only thing I would change would be the course salt. I added this, sprinkled over them. It was pretty strong, so I scraped it all off. Then they were perfect. Slight salt flavor, no salty chunks. Enjoy!

*Note: if using active dry yeast, increase the yeast to 1 tablespoon. Proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar (let it bubble and foam – maybe about 5 minutes) before adding it to the flour and salt.

*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites

Dough:
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

Topping:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

Frosting

This is a butter cream frosting that can be used for cookies, cupcakes, cakes, etc. I combined a couple different recipes/techniques for frosting to make this one for a valentine's party this weekend. I think it turned out really good. There is an extra step or two, and this frosting doesn't end up overly "powdered sugar only" tasting. I really liked it!

In a saucepan, wisk together 7 TB flour and 1 cup of milk. Wisk continually over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Cook for 45-60 sec or so, stirring the entire time. Don't let it get too thick, just make a roux out of it. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a bowl, beat together with hand beaters 1 cup of softened butter (2 cubes) and 1 cup of granulated (regular white) sugar. Beat until light and well combined. Beat in cooled roux 2 tablespoons at a time, and continue until all the roux is added. As you beat this together, the frosting will turn smooth and creamy instead of grainy. (I don't know how this happens, it just does, like a small wonderful miracle!) Add 2 tsp vanilla. Now add to this mixture, approx. 6 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Beat until completely mix in and smooth. You can add small amounts of milk/powdered sugar until you get the consistency you like. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy and wonderful!

That is it! It isn't nearly as complicated is it might seem, and doesn't take much longer than traditional butter cream frosting, but tastes better, in my opinion!