Chicken Stuffed Peppers

I know my new recipe was a hit last night because there were no leftovers! I can' always say that about my new recipes. A friend gave me the idea to make some stuffed peppers, so I got online and searched for some inspiration. I went with chicken as the meat, and also included beans, tomatoes, onions, and cheese. Next time I might add bacon and corn, but that thought didn't come to me until I was mid stuffing. Oh well. I also use crushed red peppers, salt and pepper as my seasoning. The crushed red peppers definitely give it some kick!

 After I boiled and shredded my chicken and chopped my vegetables, I bound it all together with ranch dressing. Then I scopped it into the pepper halves. I chose my peppers very carefully at the store. The bigger the better! They basically need to serve as bowls.

Then I sprinkled cheese on top and baked at 300 for 12 minutes!

 

Then we happily ate all 4 peppers! Light, healthy and super easy!

Full Dark, No Stars

In honor of Halloween, my book club read a spooky book this month. I did not appreciate that, because I am afraid of my own shadow. But I didn't object because I am a new member. The book was called Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. It was 4 short stories that all had to do with greed, lust, revenge, and of course murder! Very disturbing, but appropriately spooky I guess.

My favorite part of book club is the monthly meetings (AKA the spread of food and excuse to drink a bottle of wine on a Wednesday).

How adorable was our Halloween themed snacks this month...

This was a pumpkin tiramisu with "lady fingers" on top! Yum!

Halloween Bark! You can make this for any holiday by just switching up a few ingedients. This was pretzels, marshmallows,  oreos, candy corn, sprinkles, and candy eyes....all smothered in chocolate!

Mummy Hotdogs! Cut Pillsbury Croissant rolls into strips and wrap around the hot dogs. We put a dot of mustard for eye balls.

Caprese Eyeballs! Basil, tomato, mozzarella, and an olive slice to complete the eye ball.

 Thought this was the funniest. we called them "ripped band-aids". It is just crackers with brie and jelly.

Love all of Halloween Decor! And as cheesey as it sounds, it really is so refreshing to sit around a table with a group of intelligent women and talk about something other than our own lives. Even if it is a terrifying book! Thanks for the night mares Stephen King.

Moms, Mimosas and Egg Casserole

Our house is the main hub for our friends. We meet here for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. I honestly love it. I love to be the hostess. I love to feed my friends and family. And I even love the clean up after. I know, I am weird.

 Last weekend, my mom and sister came in town. It was really important to me that my mom and sister met my new girlfriends here in Lexington.  I thought it would be nice for the moms to meet too! I know my mom finds comfort that I am surrounded by amazing women. I hosted a little mother daughter brunch because...well...what is better than mimosas and moms?

My favorite breakfast item to make for a brunch gathering is an egg casserole. It is easy to make, tastes awesome, and can feed up to 12 people!

 

Ingredients:

- 1x dozen eggs

- 1lb of ground sausage ( I like hot!)

- Handful of baby Spinach (I rip it up into smaller pieces)

- Half an onion (chopped)

- 1x green Pepper (chopped)

- Salt and Pepper (to taste)

- Oregano (to taste)

- Italian Shredded Cheese

Directions:

- Cook ground sausage in a pan, drain and set aside

- Chop veggies

- Scramble eggs and veggies together

- Add salt, pepper and oregano

- Add drained sausage

- Pour into glass pan

- Sprinkle cheese on top

- Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes

Pumpkin Painting!

We are coming off a crazy weekend! My family was visiting. Seth's brother and his wife had a baby. And to top it all off, our electricity went out. Great timing! I have been wanting to share the pictures from the Pumpkin Party for days!  

Overall it went great. There was only one problem. I  got so distracted painting/chatting/eating/drinking that I barely took any pictures! Oh well. That is just a sign of a  good party. Here is what I have...

 

 

 

I stocked up on paint, brushes and sponges at Michael's the day before. The sponges were great for Polkadots! And the painters tape was good for stripes.

Getting started before the crowd arrived!

We had some litte ones with us too, and they had a blast! 

How awesome is this gold metallic spray paint??

One of my co workers did the Spider Man and Batman for her son.

Seth brought Soldier home towards the end, and of course he got into the wet pumpkins. How can you stay mad at that face though?

I think they all turned  out pretty cute! But my favorite is the "It's a Boy" pumpkin. I put it on my in-law's front stoop.

The fall treats were delish too. The "Fireball Cider" was a big hit. I put a bottle of fireball and two bottles of Apple Juice in a big pot on the stove and served it warm. Yummy! I will defintely be hosting another Pumpkin Painting party next year! And I am already planning my Christmas ornament decorating party!

Fall Party Prep - Mini Pecan Pie Cups

Last year I attempted to carve pumpkins. It did not go well. My crafting ego was shot. This year, I refuse to even get on the carving train. It was that bad. Instead, I have invited some friends over for a Pumpkin Painting Party! I bought lot's of paint, glitter, treats and cider! We are making a fun Thursday night out of it!

Last night, I was prepping some of the treats I will be serving. I am particularly excited about my Mini Pecan Pie Cups.

I bough the Athens Phyllo Shells, which I have used for so many recipes before! The filling was super easy. I swapped out a few ingredients to make it a bit healthier than a standard Pecan Pie filling. Don't get too excited. This is still not a healthy treat.

-1/2 Cup of Agave Nectar (Substituted for 1 cup of Corn Syrup)

-1 Cup of Organic Coconut Sugar (Substituted for regular sugar)

-3 Eggs

-2 Tablespoons of Butter

-1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

-1 1/2 Cup of Pecans (chopped)

I mixed it all together and filled up the little phyllo cups. I have not baled them yet, but tonight they will just need 20 minutes at 350!

More to come on the party tonight!

Hangover Helper: Chicken Quinoa Soup

Seth woke up this morning and was not feeling so well. I am convinced it is an extended hangover. That'll happen when you watch football for 7 hours at a bar on Sunday. Either way, I was pleased to have a nice excuse to attempt some home made chicken "quinoa" soup. Thanks babe! I mean...feel better!

The ingredients are pretty basic. If they weren't, I promise I would not have attempted this. The vegetables consisted of chopped carrots, celery, green onion, red onion and peas. Then of course the chicken, quinoa and chicken broth!

 

I grilled the chicken in a sauce pan with olive oil, salt and pepper just until the chicken turned white. It will continue to cook later on when we simmer.

While the chicken was on the stove, I chopped up my veggies. Does anyone else find chopping therapeutic?

 

I took the chicken out of the pan so I could cut it up and saute the veggies. I cooked the chopped veggies for about 10 minutes on low...just until they are tender. While the veggies were grilling, I cut up my chicken.

 

I mixed in the quinoa, packet of spices, chicken and about 4 cups of chicken broth. I let is gently boil for 15 minutes. I added the peas in the last 5 minutes so they did not over cook. Nobody likes mooshy peas! 

Not sure if my soup cured Seth's hangover, but I certainly accomplished my personal mission of a delicious and healthy dish! It was surprisingly filling! I made enough to freeze the left overs and break out next time Seth is hung over. I mean sick!

 

 

Turkey Burgers - Hold the Bun

At home, we are very healthy eaters! We cook dinner at home Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturdays, we totally indulge at bars and restaurants. My favorite part o f the week...You have to treat yourself! Our "school-night" meals always consist of a protein and a vegetable....some combination of salmon, chicken or beef.  If we add a carb or starch, it is usually a sweet potato or quinoa. We literally don't even keep pasta, bread, crackers, , etc. in the house. Without pasta as an option, dinner ideas are hard to come by.  I am running out of meals to keep things exciting!

This past week, I cooked up a real winner. We both loved it, and I can't wait to add it to the regular mix. I picked up 2x pre-seasoned turkey burger patties from Fresh Market. They have great deals on meat on Tuesdays and they also have chicken patties. I grilled the patties and melted Munster cheese on top. Then I added some sliced avacodo. It was totally delicious, even without the bun. And everyone knows the bun is the best part. Next week I am adding bacon! Gettin' crazy over here!

I topped it off with a side caesar salad (straight from  the bag!) and a sweet potato. Effortless and yummy!

 

 

Thrifty Thursday: Wines Under $20

I am a total wino. My beer drinking days were fun, but I have officially converted to wine. Wine at dinner. Wine at a tail gate. Wine on the patio. I used to not be picky at all. I would drink whatever was handed to me. Over the last year, I have stepped up my game. I have moved passed the $6 wines at the bottom shelf at Walgreen's. There is a fine line between finding an affordable wine and buying gross wine. Here are a few of my favorite wines that are under $20, but are not embarrassing to bring to a dinner party.

Pinot Nior is my go-to red. My favorite is Meiomi. It is soft, light and easy to drink. Very easy. I've been known to go through a bottle. I can usually find it for around $19.

I don't drink Cabernet too often, because it is a bit heavy to drink on the reg. But Los Vascos goes down very smooth. We first found this Cabernet at a steak house in Cabo San Lucas. My family quickly became obssesed, and started buying cases for each other at Christmas. It is made in Chile, as I discovered while drunkenly reading the label in Spanish years ago. I usually find it for around $15.

 

Pinot Grigio is my go-to white. You would think that with my sweet tooth, I would love sweeter wines, but I really prefer light, dry wines. This summer, we have been buying Kirkland's Pinot Grigio in bulk.  We discovered it thanks to Seth's unhealthy obsession with Costco. At $6.99 a bottle, it has been very highly reviewed. Don't be discouraged by the low price. It is deliciously crisp. So next time you are there, go ahead and get the case. You won't regret it.

 

Chardonny took a while to grow on me. The oaky flavor can be a bit too over whelming. My favorite Chardonnay is Toasted Head. It came through a recommendation from my best friend's mom, who is very particular about her wines.  Toasted Head is more buttery than oaky, and light enough to have a casual glass. I have paid anywhere from $10 - $16 for it. I find it on sale pretty often.

 

My next step in dominating the wine world is to plan a girl's trip to Napa! It would be a blast, and I am truly curious to learn more about what makes each wine so unique. Who's in?!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole - Easy and Healthy!

Eating healthy can be boring. I can't tell you how many times we have eaten steamed broccoli, grilled chicken and quinoa for dinner. I was getting so sick of it. In an effort to spice things up, I added a gooey twist to this healthy dinner classic. Extra points for being only 5 ingredients!

Mix the following ingredients into a glass baking dish. I used a 7x11 glass pan.

1x Can of Cream of Broccoli Soup

1x Pound of Chicken Breast (cut into small pieces while raw)

3x Clubs of Broccoli (cut into small pieces)

1x Box of Quinoa (cook before you mix into casserole)

Sprinkle cheese on top. I used shredded mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Dig in!