Apple Breeze Plus

Ingredients: 

• 1 part Rum (dark, light, spiced--I don't advise pineapple)
• 2 parts Apple Cider
• Handful of Ice 
• 1 Green Apple (or other apple)
• Ground or stick cinnamon
• Martini Glass
• Shaker

To create:
Place two apple slices in Martini Glass.  In a shaker, mix ice, rum, and apple cider.  Drain liquid over the apples in the Martini Glass.  Garnish with cinnamon (if stick, ground a bit on top and place stick in glass).

Alie and Georgia Present: The McNuggetini

Don't try this at home (or do?):



Thanks for sending this to me, Paige.  Let's try it when you come to my house over winter break!

Sizzlin' Chicken Fajitas

Don't you think these sizzlin' fajitas look great on the cute plates Ryan got me for my birthday last year? Now if only he'd get me another set of the plates so I could serve more than 4 people at once...

Pictured to the right is my finished fajita (yum!). Ryan replaced the sour cream with salsa on his. I'm sure it was also good, but how can you have a fajita without sour cream?! Silly boy. ;)

As usual, here's the recipe:

Sizzlin' Chicken Fajitas

makes 4 medium fajitas

• 4 whole wheat medium torillas
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 T Silva's taco spice
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 medium white onion
• Mexican style cheese
• Sour cream and Salsa (if desired)

Prep work:

Prepare vegetables by slicing red pepper into strips and chopping onion. Set aside. Slice chicken breasts into thin strips about the same size as the red pepper. Season chicken with Silva's taco spice. Technically you can use any taco or fajita seasoning, but Silva's is my favorite. They also make great salsa. Here's a picture of the seasoning in case you've never heard of it before:

Time to cook:

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Carefully place chicken strips in skillet. Cook for a couple minutes. Add red pepper and onion. Cook until chicken is fully cooked and peppers and onions are tender (about 8 minutes). It should look similar to this:

Feel free to experiment with other vegetables. I'm sure corn, green peppers, and even squash would be good mixed in. I just used what was in my fridge. Anyway, after your skillet mixture is ready, get out a tortilla. Spoon on some of the skillet mixture. Add cheese, sour cream, and/or salsa if desired. Enjoy!

Cheesy Pasta Primavera

Ryan and I made this as a side dish for a dinner party this weekend. Neither of us had made it before, but it turned out delicious. And it went very nice with the baked chicken the other couple (Jake and Mere) brought. Again, I didn't take a picture...I really need to start remembering to do that.

Cheesy Pasta Primavera

• 3 c whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 t sea salt
  
• 2 T Kraft Light Zesty Italian dressing
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 oz. Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in sea salt water. As pasta is cooking, heat dressing in a skillet on medium heat. Once heated, cook vegetables for about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add broth and Neufchatel cheese. Cook until Neufchatel is melted. Stir in Parmesan. When pasta is done, drain water and return pasta to pan. Add Vegetables and sauce to pasta. Serve. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Mac and Cheese

I love reading the Pitch's food blog. Here is a link to some mac and cheese that sounds absolutely amazing! Last summer I visited my mom's cousin in North Carolina. While I was there, she also made some great mac and cheese. I'm not sure what her recipe is (I'll try to get it to post on here), but I do remember that she added vidalia onion to it. I've never had onion in my mac and cheese before (I'm generally lame and make it plain from a box), so I was a bit skeptical at first. After trying it though, I learned how good it is! So, next time you're making mac and cheese (whether it's homemade or from a box), try adding a little vidalia onion in it and baking for a few minutes. I hope you're as surprised as I was.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary Sauce

The other night my wonderful boyfriend made us this recipe for dinner. It was delicious! Wish I had pictures of it; it also looked amazing.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary Sauce

• 2 chicken breasts, split in half
• 1 c dry white wine
• 1 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 T minced fresh Rosemary (about 2 sprigs)
• 4 T butter
• Salt and Pepper
• Cooked whole wheat pasta
• Cooked broccoli or other vegetables
  

To make:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt 1 T of butter in a medium to large skillet. Cook chicken breasts over medium heat, 4-5 minutes on each side, or until done. Set chicken aside and tent with foil to keep warm. Pour the wine into the warm skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring occasionally. Add cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Stir in remaining butter and rosemary. After butter is melted, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sauce over chicken and pasta. Top with veggies.

Italian Sprinkle Cookies

This first recipe is for one of my coworkers, Vicky. Without her pushing, I wouldn't have this blog. :) Thanks, Vicky. I made these cookies for a cookie exchange my boss, Crystal, invited me to. Hopefully they're a hit at the exchange. My recipe says that it makes 7 dozen cookies, but I only got 5 1/2 dozen out of it.


Italian Sprinkle Cookies

• 6 eggs
• 5 c all-purpose flour
• 2 c powdered sugar
• 2 T + 1-1/2 t baking powder
• 1 c vegetable oil
• 1 T almond extract
• 1-1/2 t lemon extract

Glaze

• 1/2 c warm milk
• 1 t almond extract
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3-3/4 c powdered sugar
• Sprinkles

To make:
Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Stir in oil and extracts. Gradually add in beaten eggs. Dough will be stiff (I advise against using wooden spoons). Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.


Cook in oven for 11 to 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. While cookies are baking make glaze by combining milk and extracts in a large bowl. Then whisk in sugar until smooth.


After baked, dip hot cookies in glaze. Transfer to a cooling rack to drain. Immediately top with sprinkles (glaze sets quickly). Let dry for 24 hours before storing in airtight containers.