Wednesday Window Shopping: Jalapeño-Chicken Crescent Pinwheels

I have a confession to make, I haven't cooked dinner once this week.  Michael cooked dinner on Monday and Tuesday and I ordered take out tonight. I've been in a bit of a blue mood this week and when I am down I try not to cook.  I truly belive that dishes made with love taste so much better than dishes prepared while in a bad mood.  I'm hoping my mood lifts soon, I have a list a of great recipes I want to share.  Luckily, I cooked a few extra meals last week that I wanted to tell you about.

One of these recipes is one that I found on the Pillsbury website.  It is their recipe for Jalapeno-Chicken Crescent Pinwheels.  As usual I will just be posting my experiences with trying out this recipe, you can see the actual recipe on their website.

Now this recipe is supposed to be for appetizers, so I doubled it to feed my family.  I opted to leave out the onions and the cilantro to keep it simple for the guys' tastes.



I cut the chicken into bite size pieces.



Seasoned the chicken with Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder and Italian Seasonings.



Cook chicken over medium heat.



Combine chicken, cream cheese and jalapenos.  Yum, The fillling was tasty just like this, I ended up eating a few spoonfuls.





I first tried it according to their instructions.





But I found it to be really messy and I didn't like the way it looked.



So for the second half i just filled each triangle with the filling and rolled like a traditional crescent roll.





I thnk they turned out to be more pleasing to the eyes.



You can see the two finished products side by side here.




I give this recipe 4 starts.  It was very delicious, but it didn't make nearly as many pinwheels as the recipe stated.  It wasn't too spicy, I think the cream cheese helped to mellow it out some.

Restaurant Review: Relish

I recently surprised my husband with a weekend getaway to see Jimmy Buffett in West Palm Beach, FL.  It was my first trip to WPB and I hope it won't be my last. The beaches there are beautiful and more importantly I found a place that serves the best tasting burgers.  Relish is located in the historic Northwood Village neighborhood of WPB and they have been opened for a little over a year.  The first decision you have to make when you arrive, is what you would like your burger to be made out of. You can choose from beef, black beans, mahi mahi, turkey and even lobster to name a few. After you decide on the type and how you want it cooked, you get to choose your "relish". Their menu offers many delectable toppings to choose from. 

When Michael and  I arrived, we knew we both wanted a beef burger. Michael wasn't sure what relish he wanted so he asked the lady working the counter to surprise him.  She picked the sweet and smokey bacon relish for him. A perfect choice for  Michael. I chose the scotch bonnet mango relish. We shared an order of fries with the sea salt topping and I ordered a chocolate covered cherry milk shake.

Michael adored his burger. My burger was amazing. The burger itself was cooked perfectly and it was well seasoned.  I could have just eaten the burger on its own, but I made the very wise choice to have scotch bonnet mango relish. it was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  I was actually a little worried when I first saw it because I usually don't like mangoes and I wasn't sure how it would be on a burger, but I am glad I took the chance. It was probably one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. It truly was the best burger I have ever eaten.  I can not stop raving or thinking about that burger. It was my cheeseburger in paradise.

Now I also have to praise the milkshake.  I think chocolate covered cherries are one of my favorite candies, so I couldn't resist trying their interpretation in a milkshake and it didn't disappoint.  It was the perfect combination of chocolate and cherry topped off with fresh whipped cream and a chocolate covered cherry.  It was delish!

We enjoyed it so much we went back on our way home. This time I ordered the fried macaroni cheese for an appetizer. I heard angels sing with my first bite. I told Michael I would have to divorce him so I could marry the fried mac & cheese

I am  trying my best to find a reason to go back. Michael wasn't too keen on the idea of a 4 hour drive just to get lunch. I don't see anything wrong with it.

I highly recommend visiting Relish the next time you are in WPB or just taking a trip to WPB to visit Relish

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Sometimes I wish I could find the person who invented the slow cooker and give them a big kiss.  The slow cooker is the best appliance for the person who has way too much on their plates.  Some days I leave the house at 7 in the morning and I do not return home until after 7 in the evening. It is those days that the slow cooker is truly my best friend.  Of course the slow cooker is really handy to have around on a Saturday when I do not feel like doing anything but sitting on the couch and watching shows on the DVR.  There is nothing better than throwing a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and 8 hours later having a delicious meal ready.

I actually have two slow cookers. One is an actual Crock Pot and the other is a programmable slow cooker by Hamilton beach.  My Crock Pot is just basic and I use it mainly for soups, stews and for keeping dishes warm.  I use the Hamilton Beach slow cooker for pot roast, turkey breast or any other meats I need to cook since it comes with a thermometer.

On weekends when I am feeling exceptionally organized I will prep all the meals for the week including my lunches and this soup is one of my favorites. I'll start it in the morning and and then in the evening I can divide it into separate containers for lunch.  The soup also freezes beautifully, so feel free to make a double batch.

Ingredients
1 quart Chicken Stock
1 lb Chicken Breast
1 can Black Beans
1 can dice tomatoes & green chilies
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Sour Cream
Shredded cheese
Tortilla Chips


Directions

Add first five ingredients to slow cooker



Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred, then return to slow cooker
When you serve the soup you can garnish with the sour cream, chips and shredded cheese



Nutritional Information: Calories: 140 Total Fat: 1.0 Cholesterol: 27.8 Sodium: 469.9 Total Carbohydrates: 14.6 Dietary Fiber: 3.9 Protein: 16.6

*Notes: Nutritional information does not include the garnishes. I used the 98% fat free cream of chicken soup.

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Individual Oreo Pies

I have probably mentioned this before, but it is worth mentioning it again. Double Stuf Oreos are my weakness. I just can't say no to eating them when they are in the house. I think I may have a problem.  I try my very best not to bring them into the house, but somehow when I went to the grocery store this weekend, they jumped into my shopping cart.  I knew I had to prepare something using the cookies to save me from eating the entire package at once.  I thought about making Cookie and Cream Cupcakes, but my stepson Caleb mentioned wanting a pie so I started thinking about using the cookies as a pie crust the same way I would make a crust using graham crackers.  Then I thought about the pies I used to make with pudding and these mini oreo pies were born.  I knew the recipe was a success when Caleb was going back for seconds before I was able to sit down to eat my first one and before I went to bed he told me again that it was awesome!  I really couldn't argue with him.  I must warn you that this dessert is very rich, but the great thing about a mini pie is instant portion control.

I made this dessert with regular oreos and chocolate pudding, but for those of you who don't like chocolate (I'm talking to you Kristen), you can easily make this with Golden Oreos and vanilla pudding.

I tried squeezing out 12 of these pies, but it works better if you just make 9. 

Ingredients
16 Oreo Cookies
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg (3.4 oz) Chocolate Instant Pudding
1/2 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip



Directions
Line 9 cupcake cups with cupcake liners
Finely crush 12 of the cookies and mix with butter.







Add about a tablespoon of the mixture to each cupcake cup, pressing firmly onto the bottom and up the side.



Pour milk and pudding mix into a bowl and blend well using a wire whisk. Beat for about two minutes.





Spoon about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon of pudding into each cup.



Stir about ½ of the Cool Whip into remaining pudding and spoon a tablespoon of the mixture into each cup.



Crush the remaining Oreos and mix with the remaining Cool Whip.
Top each mini pie with this mixture.



Refrigerate 2 - 3 hours or until set.



Nutritional Information
Who cares?!  It is ok to indulge every once and awhile!

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Wednesday Window Shopping: Southern Plate's CinnaBuns

Some people enjoy window shopping for clothes in their spare time.  I enjoy window shopping for recipes.  I will spend hours on a Saturday perusing websites for recipes that look tasty and easy to prepare.  I have a folder in my favorites just for recipes and I think I have about 80 different recipes saved.  I save the recipes with the idea that one day I will try them out, but I never do, until now.  I will try out one recipe a week and share with you if it is a success or a failure and if it is worth trying.

Our inaugural recipe comes from Christy Jordan's site Southern Plate.  I discovered this site a few months ago and I love her recipes.  This recipe for homemade CinnaBuns looked so mouthwatering, I couldn't wait to try it.  You can find the actual recipe here. I am just going to post pictures and share my experience.

The use of frozen bread dough really makes the cinnamon rolls easy to make.  You do have to plan ahead to make these rolls though.  It is well worth the effort. I recommend surprising your loved ones with these cinnamon rolls one weekend. They will sing your praises for the rest of the week.

One of pros of this recipe is that it doesn't require many ingredients.  The only item I had to buy was the frozen bread dough.




It took me over an hour to thaw the bread out.  Now for some reason I do not have rolling pin. I need to add one to my shopping list.  But I remembered my mom using a glass to roll out dough when she would make homemade biscuits, so I improvised.  I used a glass vase.



I felt like I got a pretty good arm work out rolling out the dough.  My theory is that I burned enough calories rolling the dough to not feel guilty eating the cinnamon rolls.



I misread the recipe and melted the whole stick of butter. You only need to melt half a stick of butter.  Brush the dough with the butter.




Hmm, brown sugar and cinnamon.



The dough was sticky so I did have a little bit of difficulty with rolling it into a log.  But I finally got the hang of it.





When I tried cutting the slices, it kept trying to come unrolled so I ended rolling them again after they were cut.





Now at this point you're supposed to place it in a warm place and let the dough rise or you can place in the refrigerator overnight. I prepped the night before so I placed in the refrigerator with the understanding that I would have to get up an hour before I wanted to cook the rolls to allow the rising to continue.  This is what it looked like the next morning.



Not too much differnce in the size. To allow it to to continue rising. I turned the oven on to the lowest setting and turned it off just as it started to get warm and left the rolls in the oven for about an hour.


I baked according to directions and though they don't look perfect, they do look yummy.



I started off only icing half the rolls just in case we didn't like the cream cheese icing.



They turned out as delicious as Christy promised.  Even though they are a little more time consuming than the ones you bake out of the can, I will never go back to the canned ones.  In my opinion these tastes so much better. The canned ones are always too rich for me.  These are the perfect level of sweetness.  Michael really enjoyed the cinnamon rolls too. We had to stop ourselves from finishing them off that morning.

I give this recipe a rating of 5 stars!

Grilled Cheese with Apple and Cheddar

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month?  There seems to be a month or day to celebrate every little thing. But a month dedicated to the awesomeness of the grilled cheese?  Sign me up!  Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food.  Growing up my mom would often make me grilled cheese sandwiches for a quick lunch.  Mom would whip up the sandwiches using white Wonder bread and Kraft American cheese.  When I was in my early twenties, my BFF and I got an apartment together and I had someone new to make me grilled cheese sandwiches.  Sure, I was capable of making the sandwich myself, but Beckie always made them so much better :).

When I moved into my own apartment I finally had to make my own grilled cheese sandwiches. I made them both ways, but as I grew older my palate started to change and I needed something a little different for my adult taste. I was thrilled when I came across a version of this recipe in a Weight Watchers magazine.  I love the combination of the crispy, sweet apples combined with cheddar cheese.  The mustard and mayonnaise spread is just a bonus that makes my taste buds sing and dance!

Since it is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month, almost every food/recipe site I follow on Facebook has posted their favorite version  and it really made me crave my favorite grilled cheese.  So I decided to whip one up this weekend.  Of course when I went to the kitchen I discovered I didn't have  any shredded cheddar I only had a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.  I was also out of mayo, but happily Michael picked up Chick-fil-a for breakfast the day before so we had some packets I was able to use.  The sandwich turned out pretty tasty despite the substitutions.

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Mayonnaise
1 oz Shredded Cheese
¼ medium Gala Apple, thinly sliced
2 slices Multigrain Bread
Cooking Spray



Directions

Melt Butter.

Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray
Brush butter on one side of each slice of bread.



Combine mustard and mayonnaise and spread evenly on opposite side of bread.
Add apples to one slice. 



Add cheese to remaining slice.



Cook sandwich 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cheese is melted.







Nutritional Information Calories: 311 Total Fat: 11 Cholesterol: 23 Sodium: 784 Total Carbohydrates: 36.7 Dietary Fiber: 3.1 Cholesterol: 23 Protein: 12.8 Calcium: 255

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Mock Fried Chicken

I love eating  fried chicken. I don't love how unhealthy it is. I also dislike how when you fry it, your house smells like it for a week and the smell gets into your clothes and your hair.  I also hate dealing with the hot oil, it always ends up popping and burning me a little.  Plus I am never sure on how to dispose of the used oil. For these reasons I never make fried chicken.

I was very happy when I was able to discover a way to to enjoy the taste and crispiness for fried chicken without actually having to fry in on the stove.  I love making this with Panko bread crumbs but it can also be made with regular bread crumbs.  I used spicy mustard this time for extra flavoring, but that can be changed out depending on your mood. For a more Asian flare you can use soy sauce. If you are looking for an extra kick you can add hot sauce.

Ingredients
2 egg whites
2 tbsp spicy mustard
1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
Seasonings to Taste
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F. Coat dish with cooking spray



Preheat oven to 450 F. Coat dish with cooking spray

Whisk together egg whites, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic powder





In a shallow dish season Panko bread crumbs with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Form an assembly line.



Dip chicken into egg white mixture.



Coat chicken with bread crumbs





Add to baking dish.




Cook for 15 minutes
Turn chicken to other side and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until crispy and golden brown





Nutritional Information
Calories: 293.5 Total Fat: 1.4 Cholesterol: 110 Sodium: 547.5 Total Carbohydrate: 18.1 Dietary Fiber: .8 Sugars: 1.5 Protein 50.8

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