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Monthly Archives: March 2009
Eric and I both love Brunswick Stew, but we’ve never made it before. Usually, we only eat when we’re with his family in Alabama. It’s always at the big family gatherings. When I saw Erin’s post for Brunswick Stew, I knew immediately that I had to make it for us.
The day we made this stew, we had been at the beach with our friends Marlyn and Chris. After being in the sun, we definitely had no desire to come home and cook. Thankfully, we didn’t have to do much in the way of cooking in order to enjoy this. We just put everything in the Crock Pot and let it do all the work. We were both incredibly happy with how it turned out, especially considering the minimal effort involved in making it. The stew was filled with flavor and went perfectly with the cheddar muffins we made to serve alongside it.
This, like most slow-cooker meals, makes a lot of food. We stored some as leftovers for that week and put the rest in the freezer for another time.
 Chicken Brunswick Stew
Ingredients:
2 large onions, chopped
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 (15-ounce) cans cream-style corn
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup butter, cut up
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon pepper sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Directions:
-Place onion in a 4-quart slow cooker; place chicken breasts on top of the onions.
-Add corn, tomatoes, chili sauce, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, butter, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and pepper sauce.
-Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or until chicken is tender.
-Remove the chicken and shred; return to stew.
-Mix thoroughly and serve.
Source: Dinner and Dessert
I love coconut. When Eric told me about some good news his office had received, I knew I had to make this cake. His boss loves coconut, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong. (*If you’re making this for a crowd and want to be sure that everyone can enjoy it, you can always leave off the coconut flakes on a portion of the cake.) This is the first coconut cake I’ve ever made, and I don’t think I’ll ever try another recipe. This cake was seriously that good. I love the subtle flavors of the coconut in the cake, and the frosting puts it over the top. It’s like taking a bite of a tropical breeze. The pineapple, lime and coconut blend together beautifully to form a cake that everyone (even the coconut haters out there) can enjoy. Since the filling tasted so fantastic, I decided to torte the cakes and put it in between each layer.
 Coconut Cake with Pineapple Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pans
3 cups cake flour, plus additional for pans
1 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream of coconut
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
11/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large whole eggs
3 large egg whites
12 ounces cream cheese, not whipped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lime zest
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup chopped, drained, canned pineapple chunks
5 1/2 ounces unsweetened or sweetened flaked coconut
Directions:
-Make cake: Preheat oven to 325° and line the bottom of 2 buttered 9×2-inch round cake pans with parchment.
-Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess flour.
-Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
-Whisk together cream of coconut, milk, and extracts in a bowl.
-Beat together butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
-Add whole eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined well.
-On low speed, beat in flour mixture and cream of coconut mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just combined (do not overbeat).
-Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans (about 2-3/4 cups per pan) and smooth tops.
-Bake cake layers in middle of oven until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
-Transfer pans to racks and let cool for 5 minutes.
-Run a small knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Peel off paper, then invert layers right side up and cool.
-Make Frosting and Filling: Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
-Beat in butter and lime zest until smooth.
-Slowly beat in confectioners’ sugar on low speed until smooth for frosting.
-Transfer 1 cup of frosting to a bowl and fold in pineapple for filling.
-Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter and spread top evenly with filling.
-Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
-Top with second layer, then spread top and sides with frosting.
-Chill cake until frosting is slightly firm.
-Coat top and sides of cake evenly with coconut flakes.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Source: Lady’s Home Journal
This recipe is inspired by Southwest Eggrolls at Chili’s. That is by far my all-time favorite appetizer, and I’m always tempted to get them whenever I see them on a menu.
I love this recipe for a number of reasons. Not only does the filling taste amazing, it’s highly adaptable. We made burritos, but this filling could easily be used to fill eggrolls or wontons. Additionally, these can be frozen and reheated for an easy and delicious lunch. No need to buy frozen meals when you’ve got these handy!
The only change I’ll make next time we make these is to add a chipotle in adobo (or maybe half of one). Now that I’ve discovered what an awesome flavor those give to dishes, I’m looking for new recipes to try them in.
 Southwest Chicken Burritos
Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts
4 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 small white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons canned jalapenos, diced
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
9 flour tortillas (This will very depending on the size of the tortilla.)
Directions:
-Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.
-Grill (we use a grill pan) until chicken is cooked through.
-Allow chicken to cool slightly and then shred.
-In a medium skillet, add red pepper, onion and garlic and cook over medium high heat for one minute.
-Add shredded chicken and remaining ingredients through red pepper flakes and cook until warmed through.
-Meanwhile, microwave tortillas in a damp paper towel for 15-20 seconds.
-Add cheese, mixing until incorporated.
-Fill tortillas and eat immediately or wrap in foil to freeze. (If freezing, burritos take about 3 minutes to reheat.)
Source: Adapted from Crazy Delicious Food
Eric and I love parpadelle pasta. The wide noodles hold sauce perfectly, and you’ll be thankful for that when you try this sauce. This meal came together so simply. Served with a side of crusty garlic bread, it makes the perfect weeknight meal. The sauce has tons of flavor without needing many ingredients. The Parmigiano-Reggiano really shines in this dish with its earthy, nutty flavors coming through. Freshly cracked black pepper is perfect on top.
We easily halved this recipe, which made two generous servings with a smaller portion leftover for lunch the next day. The original recipe, which I’ve posted, calls for one pound of pasta.
 Parmigiano-Reggiano Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
1 small wedge of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano wheel, grated (about 2 c. plus extra for serving)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 large pinch pepper
1 small pinch freshly grated nutmeg
salt to taste
Directions:
-In wide-bottom saucepan, or large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add butter.
-Stir until melted and add heavy cream.
-Let butter and cream simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (should coat the back of a spoon and leave a line when you drag your finger across the spoon).
-Slowly add grated Parmesan, about 1 1/2 – 2 c. depending on how you’d like the texture, until desired consistency is reached.
-Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, until cheese is fully incorporated into the sauce.
-Stir in pepper, nutmeg, and careful salt to taste, as Parmesan is quite salty.
-Add noodles over heat.
-Add reserved pasta water to thin a bit.
-Plate and serve immediately.
Source: Good Things Catered
When I saw this recipe in my Google Reader, I instantly knew I had to make it. When I saw that the ingredient list included panko breadcrumbs, I knew for sure it would be a hit. This dish is made lighter because the chicken is not fried. Some might think that would take too much crispness away, but the panko guarantee that doesn’t happen. With all the flavor in this dish, no one will ever guess it’s a light version. This is an easy weeknight meal, and goes wonderfully with angel hair pasta and crusty garlic bread.
We easily halved this recipe to make two servings, but I’ve included the recipe for four.
Lighter Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
vegetable cooking spray
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into halves (4 pieces total)
2 cups marinara sauce, warmed
about 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp. minced fresh basil
Directions:
-Adjust an oven rack to the middle position.
-Preheat the oven to 475°.
-Combine the breadcrumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat until golden, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
-Spread the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and allow to cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.
-In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. -In a third shallow dish whisk together the egg whites and water.
-Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.
-Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
-Lightly dredge each chicken piece in the flour to coat completely, shaking off the excess.
-Then dip into the egg whites and finally coat with the breadcrumb mixture.
-Press on the breadcrumbs to make sure they adhere.
-Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
-Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.
-Remove the chicken from the oven.
-Spoon 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce over the top of each piece of chicken and top with 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella.
-Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
-Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve as desired, with extra Parmesan and marinara sauce.
Source: As seen on Annie’s Eats, originally from Cooks Illustrated, October 2006
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