Spicy Apple-Glazed Meatballs

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Another week night meal success! I decided to go all "dinners" on you guys this week. Last week I felt like I was making dessert after dessert.

Tonight's dinner recipe was a huge hit - and super easy (thank heavens). Sometimes I really don't like cooking dinner, but when I find recipes as quick and tasty as this one, it motivates me on those harder days. Tonight I have rehearsal, so these were so easy to prepare ahead, simmer away, and have the white rice all ready in my little rice cooker (for whenever Ryan gets home...sometimes it's a mystery).

I love meatballs. Whenever I go to a wedding reception or baby/bridal shower and they have meatballs, I clean them out. Why not? A savory little pop of juicy meat? Count me in. Always. I snuck a little taste of the meatball sauce while making it, and I immediately couldn't wait for the meatballs to be finished! It was sweet, but had a little after kick. My house smells so wonderful from the sauce!

If you wanted to add some veggie-value, perhaps some steamed broccoli. We ate these with freshly sliced cold oranges for fruit-goodness. Yum, people. Yum. This recipe gets a solid 10/10 from the blondie household.

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Spicy Apple-Glazed Meatballs
recipe from Better Homes & Gardens

Spicy Meatballs:
1 egg
1/4 C milk
2 slices whole-wheat bread, torn
1 lb ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 t vegetable oil

Apple Glaze:
1 C apple juice
1/4 soy sauce
3 T packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t cornstarch
1 t ground ginger
1/4 t cayenne pepper
6 green onions, chopped

For Spicy Meatballs, in a large bowl whisk together egg and milk. Add bread. Let stand 10 minutes, just until bread is softened. Add beef, garlic, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly with hands or wooden spoon. Shape beef mixture in 48 one-inch meatballs.

In a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium heat. Cook meatballs, half at a time, about 6 minutes per batch, turning occasionally until brown and crusty on outside and no longer pink inside. Transfer meatballs to a covered dish; cover to keep warm. Drain fat from skillet; wipe out skillet.

For Apple Glaze, in a small bowl combine apple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and cayenne pepper. In same skillet as meatballs were cooked, cook and stir juice mixture until thickened and bubbly (at full boil). Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Return meatballs to skillet to heat through and coat with sauce. Transfer glazed meatballs a serving dish. Top with green onions.

 

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Sweet Potato Cakes & Sour Cream with Black Bean Salsa

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Sweet potatoes and I have fallen in love again.

My favorite way to eat them is via the ever-addicting sweet potato fries. We live near a lovely little eatery called Gurus. They have everything there - salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups, rice bowls, pasta, and of course - desserts. The first time I went there was about a year ago to catch up with some friends from the music studio/college. We ate al fresco, and it was such a beautiful late afternoon. One of my buddies ordered the most delicious sweet potato fries for our table. It was the first time I've ever had sweet potato fries, and it was beyond delicious. 

These lovely potato cakes provided the same crunchy potato fries flavor, but with more of a subtle crispiness, and a lovely creamy center. The cool sour cream was a perfect bed of softness for the light and vibrant black bean salsa, too. These would be really wonderful appetizers if you made them more bite-sized. We just made bigger patties, and ate them as a meal. The manchild downed about two of these before I took these pictures.

I changed salsa recipe - it originally called for chipotle, and I'm just not a fan. So I used roma tomatoes. I also didn't fry the heck outta them - I left them a little crispy on the top and bottom, but soft on the edges. Everything else I prepared exactly as the recipe called for - such fun, and tasty, little sweet potato cakes these were.

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Sweet Potato Cakes & 

Sour Cream with Black Bean Salsa 

recipe from lisa is cooking 

Potato Cakes:

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 C flour

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

5 green onions, both white and green portions chopped

5 T EVOO

5 T butter

1/2 C sour cream

Black Bean Salsa:

16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 roma tomato, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/4 C minced red onion

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

1/4 t salt

Juice of 1 lime

 

Steam sweet potato chunks for 15 minutes until completely tender. Transfer to colander and drain until very dry. 

While your potatoes are steaming, prepare black bean salsa. Combine all salsa ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Store in refrigerator. 

Once dry, place sweet potato chunks in a large mixing bowl and mash to break up chunks. Don't use a mixer, or over-mix, or they'll turn gummy. Add flour and finely chopped green onions, mix with hands to form a smooth batter. Add salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be sticky, not wet. Add more flour if it's wet. Form round, flat cakes. If you're using these as appetizers, make the little potato cakes smaller. If you're having them as a meal, make them larger.

In a skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of oil and butter over medium high heat. Fry four or five at a time for 3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer finished cakes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Add more butter and oil in pan between batches as needed. 

Allow to cool before adding sour cream. Top each potato cake with sour cream and black bean salsa.

Gnocchi, Sweet Corn & Arugula in Cream Sauce

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 What a fun weeknight meal this turned out to be!

Another recipe from Better Homes & Gardens strikes again! I love those guys! I'm definitely their new biggest fan. I would have never thought of putting these ingredients together, but after tasting them in this dish, I don't know how I'll ever keep them away from each other in the kitchen.

The creamy, soft gnocchi was great contrast to the the tasteful crispiness of the corn and arugula. I threw in some mushrooms (leftover from yesterday), too. The recipe originally calls for less corn, but I wanted three whole ears (corn is in my blood, so to speak). Also I changed the herb seasoning to fresh basil. The basil went so well with the arugula and creamy sauce. We'll definitely be making this one again. It was light, and had a little taste of everything.

Ryan said it needed bacon :)

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Gnocchi, Sweet Corn & Arugula in Cream Sauce
recipe based on Better Homes & Gardens

3 medium-sized fresh sweet corn on the cob
3 C fresh arugula (I used a mix of fresh arugula and spinach)
3/4 C fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 pound potato gnocchi
3/4 C half and half
3 oz light cream cheese
1 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1 t fresh basil, julienne
1/4 t black pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper 
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

In large pot, boil water and cook gnocchi according to package directions, adding in the corn on the cob in the last 5 minutes. Remove corn, transfer to cutting board. Drain gnocchi, but make sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Don't rinse your gnocchi.

For the cream sauce, combine half and half, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder, fresh basil, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium for about 10 minutes, stirring until cream cheese has evenly dispersed throughout sauce. Stir in reserved pasta water.

Slice your corn off the cob. 

In a medium bowl, combine your pasta sauce, corn, gnocchi and arugula. Sprinkle with additional salt, pepper, basil, and crushed red pepper if desired. Enjoy it, man.

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Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake

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Ryan licked the bowl. He doesn't always do that - but when he does, I know I've done good.

Today was another rough day wrestling with my almost-toddler through church. This savory and veggie-crammed dish was just the comfort I needed (accompanied by a long nap later in the afternoon, thanks Ryan!)

So, when I say veggie-crammed, I meant it. This dish has carrots, sugar snap peas, red onion, parsley (eh?), cherry tomatoes, green pepper, and mushrooms (even through it's a fungus, I'm gonna throw it right in there). Plenty of veggies to go around - and cleverly paired with cheese tortellini.

Another blonde moment today - all the beautiful colors of the veggies put me in such a trance, that I forgot to read my directions. I chopped all of them up, in the proper quantities, then threw them all in a big happy bowl together. Well. Um. Let's just say a few minutes after I went through that entire bowl, sorting them out again into their own families. Some veggies were to be used now, and some later. Go me.

I don't know how I've avoided Better Homes and Gardens for so long. It's wonderful! I'm making three of their recipes this week (this being one of them). I actually have a free monthly subscription to their magazine now (thanks to the manchild, and his Huggies diapers). I've been collecting the codes on the diaper packaging, entering them in on their website, and built up quite the stockpile of points! I was so happy to see the Better Homes and Gardens magazine on the rewards list, and can't wait to try more of their scrumptious recipes.

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Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake 
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 lb package Buitoni Cheese-Filled Tortellini
1 C carrots, chopped
1 1/2 C sugar snap peas, halved
1/2 C red onion, diced
1 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 C cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 green pepper, chopped
1 T butter
1 large chicken breast, diced
1/3 C chicken broth
1 T flour
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1 C milk
1 T lemon juice 
8 oz light cream cheese, cubed
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook tortellini in boiling salted water according to package directions, adding the carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking, and the sugar snap peas during the last 1 minute of cooking. Drain and pour into a big bowl.

Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high. Add chicken, red onion, and mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from skillet. But keep skillet on the stove.

Combine chicken broth, parsley, flour, garlic powder, and pepper until smooth. Add to skillet with the milk. Cook and stir until thickened, and bubbly. Add cream cheese. Cook and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice.

Pour creamy mixture and chicken/mushroom mixture into your big bowl of tortellini. Add in tomatoes and green pepper. Toss to coat. Turn into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake, covered, for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan. This makes a ton of delicious goodness. Enjoy it, and enjoy the wonderful leftovers tomorrow.

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Simple, but Decadent, Poached Pears

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Today it poured and poured outside, only to have full sunshine a few hours later. I love days like this. I think the rain soothed my little man into an almost 3-hour nap. These poached pairs didn't even take a small fraction of that time to prepare.

The first thing that captured me about this dessert is the way it looks. Pears are so beautiful. They look beautiful. They taste beautiful. I originally wanted to make the Poached Pears/Pear Compote earlier this week, but the pears were taking their sweet time ripening. They were well worth the wait.

The second thing I noticed was the star. What is that? I quickly looked through the ingredients - it's called the Star of Anise. I couldn't find it at two of my local supermarkets. A friend told me to head on over to the Latino Market, and that's exactly where I found them (about 10 stars for 74 cents). The star of anise coupled with the cinnamon smelled just like Christmas wassail. It was absolutely wonderful. When the buzzer went off in my kitchen to take the pears off the stove, I didn't want to because they smelled so good as they simmered away. 


I love how simple the ingredients are. The pears tasted sweet, with the subtle zing of cinnamon and comforting warmth of the anise. I think that even though these taste like the holidays, they're perfect for summer because they're served cold. And oh how refreshing they are that way! I think these would serve well after a big meal. They're not heavy at all, but have enough light sweetness to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Simple, but Decadent, Poached Pears
recipe from Cooking Tackle

2 Asian Pears
3/4 C water
2 T sugar
1 T lime/lemon juice
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of salt

Peel the pears and halve lengthwise. Use a melon baler to remove the core from each half of the pear. Combine the pear, water, star anise, cinnamon, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer for 14-20 minutes (could me longer, depending on how ripe your pears are. Mine took about 30 minutes because they weren't quite ripe). Do not stir. Cool, refrigerate, and serve chilled.

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Chicken Pillows with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

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I learned tonight that onion powder looks very identical to garlic powder. They're in the same type/color container, too. It's a good thing I noticed this difference right when it happened, versus after the chicken pillows came out of the oven. I ended up scooping the top layer of chicken right outta the bowl and tossing it. I guess my blog title can be perfectly fitting sometimes...   The onion powder is now on the opposite side of the cabinet.

These little pillows of love were just perfect for an overcast day. Ryan got off work early, so he walked in right when these came out of the oven. We all (including the manchild) gobbled them up with some fresh pears and green beans (excluding Ryan... he hates green beans with a passion) and headed straight to the park to enjoy the evening. The chicken pillows were so filling, and very rich with creamy parmesan flavor. I loved how the inside filling was so warm and scrumptious, but the outside biscuit layer was crispy - with the parmesan sauce slathering every bite along the way. I cut the recipe in half, and it was plenty for our little family. It made about 8 pillows, and we had 4 left over.

Mel has such a wonderful website - and has some really tasty ideas that I can't wait to try and devour. I didn't want to make her parmesan sauce, though, so I used my basic alfredo sauce and added a bunch of parmesan cheese. Also, her recipe calls for homemade rolls. Obviously I didn't want to... Pillsbury made my rolls tonight. Cut the prep time in half.

I like to think of these as the female version of beef wellington.

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Chicken Pillows with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
based on Mel's Kitchen Cafe but with my own adaptations to the rolls and sauce

Filling:

2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (I threw mine in the crock pot for 4 hours on high with 1 cup chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, garlic powder)

1 package light cream cheese

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t salt

Rolls and Coating:

1 package Pillsbury Jumbo Biscuits

1/2 stick of butter, melted

1 C panko bread crumbs

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Parmesan Sauce:

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 1/2 C milk
1 t minced garlic
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Cook the chicken however the heck you want to, then shred it. In a medium bowl combine the chicken, cream cheese, garlic powder and salt and mix until well combined. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

Pop open your jumbo biscuits and flatten each of them out to about 1/4 an inch. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into the center. Fold up all sides and pinch together to seal well. 

When all the chicken pillows have been formed, combine the panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. One by one, dip each chicken pillow in the melted butter and roll in the panko/Parmesan mixture. Place seam side down about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until the chicken pillows are lightly golden brown and the dough is baked through.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add minced garlic. Whisk in the flour, cooking over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden and bubbly. Slowly whisk in the milk, salt and pepper once the milk has been completely added. Stir constantly over medium heat until the sauce thickens and bubbles, about 5-10 minutes, taking care to adjust the heat accordingly so the sauce doesn't burn on the bottom. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Remove the sauce from the heat. Thin the sauce with a little milk if needed.

Serve the rolls warm from the oven with Parmesan cream sauce drizzled over the top.

 

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Pear Cake Brûlée

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My mother-in-law is a complete gem. She finds the most wonderful cook books for me, and I'm so grateful! The book I baked from today is called "Creme Brulée". What a fancy little thing it is. This book is stuffed with over 50 creme brulée recipes ranging from basic vanilla, to your savory dishes (they look more like little dinners than brulée).

I've had a few recipes on my list from this book for a while. I've tried the basic vanilla, and it was simply wonderful (I served it with fresh raspberries). This time, I wanted to make the Pear Cake Brulée. I love pears. They're not quite in season, but still available. You only need pear juice anyways for this dessert, so it wasn't a bit deal at all.

My favorite part of this book is the caramel tutorial in the back. I didn't realize how fun it is to make caramel garnishes! I started with the very very basic, and it was crazy. That stuff burns layers off your skin in an instant, and almost destroyed my piping bag, but I had a blast! I started off with just a few little drops, then streams, then a caramel cage around a spoon..... well.... the cage broke the second I touched it. Apparently I'm not as delicate as I thought I was while removing the caramel cage from the spoon. So, I was left with the droplets and streams to garnish my brulée with. I need much more practice with caramel, but I'm not as scared of it as I used to be.

I loved the cake + creme brulée together. Sometimes creme brulée can be a bit too much of the same texture for me. The crunchy caramel and moist cake layer balanced it out very well. 

I had a little trouble making these little lovers. They taste top notch, don't get me wrong, but the "cake" layer wasn't as thick as the picture in the book! And that was the yummiest part! Lame. Oh well, can't win 'em all, eh? I think I'll have to stick to non-cake brulée from now on.

At least I was able to use my mini-torch for something other than lighting candles. 

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Pear Cake Brûlée
Dominique & Cindy Duby, Creme Brulée

2 T butter
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C pear juice
3 large egg yolks
1/2 C whole milk
1/2 C whipping cream
1/4 C flour
2 large egg whites
3 T sugar for carmelizing

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Grease 6 ramekins with butter then sprinkle inside with sugar to oat evenly, shaking out any excess.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add pear juice and egg yolks, then beat until the mixture is smooth. Add milk and cream and continue mixing until the mixture is completely smooth. Add flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

In a separate medium bowl and using an electric mixer with clean beaters, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg whites into pear mixture until well combined and no white streaks remain. Divide the mixture evenly among prepared ramekins. Place the mixture eventually among prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins in a shallow roasting pan. Pour hot water into roasting pan. Pour hot water into roasting until lightly golden brown and springy to the touch, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, then turn cakes out of ramekins and let cool in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over top of each cake to cover it completely. Ignite a blowtorch and caramelize sugar until evenly melted, moving the torch constantly so sugar doesn't burn.

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Chicken Crunch Wrap

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If you've never had a crunch wrap from Taco Bell... then you don't know what amazing goodness this tortilla keeps in hiding...

I love taking my favorite foods from restaurants (in this case... a not-so-restaurant) and making them at home. I can't get enough of that dang Taco Bell Crunch Wrap Supreme. If I go to Taco Bell, I get this almost every time (it's not like we really ever eat out... unless it's Cafe Rio or a special occasion). 

After eating one of these tonight for dinner, it'll be hard to talk me into going through that drive through again. It was too easy to make these, and (didn't think it was possible) they tasted a thousand times better. The gooey nacho cheese is the star - it's what makes this thing absolutely heavenly.

Let's just talk about the layers of this little lover: 

Layer one: Gooey, warm, shredded chicken. (normally, crunch wraps are prepared with ground beef, but I'm on a bit of a chicken kick this week). 

Layer two: Spicy nacho cheese. I actually used the Taco Bell brand queso cheese. Yes, it's probably processed/fake, but I like it. 

Layer three: A crispy/crunchy & warm corn tortilla

Layer four: Sour cream. I believe sour cream was created for Mexican food. Straight up. 

Layer five: Fresh, ripe tomatoes, crisp romaine lettuce, and (of course) a few cilantro leaves.

All layers wrapped in a warm and slightly crunchy burrito tortilla for your hand-held convenience. 

I know. It should be a crime.

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Chicken Crunch Wrap

inspired by my endless Taco Bell cravings

1 fresh vine-on tomato, chopped

2 giant romaine lettuce leaves, chopped

Burrito-size tortillas (you can use wheat, as well)

Corn tortillas (or you could use taco chips, maybe?)

Nacho Cheese (I used the Taco Bell brand because I'm obsessed with their fake cheese. But you could use shredded cheddar, or make your own cheese sauce via your typical roux)

1 chicken breast, chopped

1/2 packet taco seasoning (or make your own. I just wanted to save time)

cilantro (of course)

sour cream

EVOO

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat up your EVOO over medium in a small pan. Throw in your chicken, and about halfway through (little pink) dump in half of your taco packet seasoning and about 1/4 cup water. Turn temperature down and let simmer until cooked through and small sauce forms. Remove from heat, set aside.

Add however many corn tortillas you need onto an ungreased pan (I just used our pizza pan) and into the oven for about 5 minutes (until crispy).

Microwave your burrito tortilla about 25 seconds. Layer on your chicken, nacho cheese sauce, crispy corn tortilla, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, and cilantro on your warm burrito (in the middle). Next is the fun part. Starting on one side, take small sections and fold up around the circle shape of the corn tortilla - keep doing this until your innards are all covered (if you can see lettuce and tomato, cut a small circle from another burrito tortilla and slip it inside to cover the top).

Heat up grill/large pan (about medium heat) with a teeny bit of EVOO. Lay your crunch wrap folded-side down on your warm pan. When it's crispy, flip it.

Devour. 

 

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Blackberry & Mint Brownie Parfait

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Blackberry, Mint, and Chocolate, eh? Not usually the combination you see in one glass. After tasting how fresh and vibrant they can be together, I'd say they should be permanent neighbors.

First of all, Chasing Delicious has got to have some of the most beautiful food photography I've ever seen. Visit his site when you have a chance - it will change the way you see food. The two recipes I prepared today, I'm proud to admit, are all his.

Blackberries are such a gorgeous little fruit, aren't they? They're packed will all kinds of goodness, have such a fun texture, and can be used in so many different ways. Today, I coupled them with fresh mint, homemade whipped cream, and gooey chocolate. My kind of late-afternoon treat.

The recipe was originally listed with almost all "ounce" measurements. It was not my favorite at first, but forced me to remember my metrics, and convert the ingredients accordingly. I have yet to purchase an ounce scale, and would have loved one today, but I survived without it.

Making whipped cream from scratch is amazing. I'm not hard core enough to shun the store-bought stuff, but I've learned to really appreciate the depth of real flavor homemade whipped cream provides. Also, this recipe was the first time I've used cake flour. Felt the same.

I've always used this technique, but never really knew the name for it. It's called: bain marie. I've used it mostly to melt chocolate, but in this case today I was able to use it with a few more ingredients. Bain Marie is when you take a bowl of food (I use my medium metal bowl), and place it into a pan with simmering water. The steam heats up the bowl of food with gentle, slow, heat. I know you're beyond excited.

All in all, the overall flavor of this dish was perfectly decadent. The mint-infused whipped cream was the perfect touch. However, this recipe took a while to prepare. I'm sure there's a much easier way (store-mix brownies, mint extracts, (heck, you could just do mint brownies), store whipped cream, and use some good 'ol blackberry jam...

But you'd seriously be missing out. The extra time in this case = extra depth of flavor.

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Blackberry & Mint Brownie Parfait 
recipe from chasing delicious 

1 brownie recipe (*See Easy Fudge Brownie recipe below)
12 oz whole blackberries
1/2 C sugar
2 T mint leaves, finely chopped
1 T honey
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 C water
1 1/2 C heavy cream
6-10 mint stems with leaves
3 T sugar

Prepare the brownies according to the recipe and set them aside to cool completely.

Prepare the blackberry macerate by putting the blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons mint leaves, honey, vanilla extract and water in a bowl. Mix with a fork, mashing some of the blackberries, until everything is evenly distributed. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the mint-infused whipped cream by placing the cream and the mint stems and leaves in a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the mixture over medium heat just to the scalding stage – don’t let the cream come to a simmer or a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely.

Once ready to whip – making sure the cream is cold – strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve – saving the cream but discarding the mint. Place the cream in a bowl and whip at high speed. Once the mixture begins to thicken, slowly add the 3 tablespoons sugar and continue whipping until the mixture forms stiff peaks – this will take longer than whipping normal heavy whipping cream. Set aside.

To assemble the parfaits place a few brownie chunks in the bottom of a cup. Spoon the mint-infused whipping cream on top of the brownies and then spoon blackberry macerate onto of the whipped cream. Repeat these steps until the cup is filled to the top (I placed a couple large chunks of brownie and some fresh mint leaves on top for decoration).

Only assemble the parfait just before eating. Store the parts separately refrigerated for up to a couple days (you will have to re-whip the cream a bit if you let it sit longer than a few hours).

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*Easy Fudge Brownies
recipe adapted from chasing delicious

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chopped
1 3/4 C sugar
3 1/2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C choc chips
1/2 t
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, cold
1/2 C cake flour

Butter a 9×11 pan (I used a cookie sheet - that way I could have smaller pieces for the parfaits); preheat an oven to 325°F with a rack in the bottom third of the oven.

Place the butter in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water - (bain marie). When it begins to melt, add the sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate bar. Stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate have completely melted and mixture is completely mixed together–it may still appear a bit grainy.

Remove the bowl from the bain marie and allow the temperature of the mixture to cool slightly.

Add the vanilla and stir. Then add each egg, one at a time, mixing well after each to completely incorporate it.

Add the cake flour and mix until it is completely dispersed. Continue to mix for another minute to ensure the mixture is smooth. The batter will be very thick.

Pour batter into the pan and spread it out evenly if needed. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 22 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out covered in crumbs and a paste-like substance, but not a liquidy looking substance (it should stick to the toothpick and not run or fall off).

Allow the brownies to cool to room temperature.

 

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Spicy Chicken Pizza with Pepper Jack Cheese and Cilantro, Simple No Knead Pizza Dough

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Mother's Day was just lovely. I didn't have to lift a finger in the kitchen. My Ryan makes the yummiest BBQ Chicken and Rice (big time kudos to his Dad for passing on such a gem of a recipe). I crave this chicken. I crave the rice. It's beyond therapy.

 I made sure to have Ryan make the recipe with extra chicken just so I could use it for pizza today. Plus, we still had extra Pepper Jack Cheese to use up from our Chili Lime Turkey Burgers with Guacamole from last week. So the stars were aligned for this flavorful pizza to enter our kitchen. It was well-welcomed. 

I've never really made my own pizza dough. I know. Crazy. But I get so busy sometimes and it's so much easier to just use the stupid mixes. Today, I learned my lesson, and will forever more make my own pizza dough no matter how busy the day. This dough was so easy, that I (the queen of killing yeast and dough and sucking at anything "making bread from scratch" related) made it perfectly on the first try. I LOVED the dough like I love cilantro (which is maybe a little too much) -  the olive oil flavor surrounded each fluffy pepper-loaded pizza bite. I had half the dough recipe left over as well. Perfect for tomorrow's recipe.

This pizza has loads of color (green peppers, yellow peppers, red peppers, purple onion, etc), and I thought it looked just beautiful! The pepper jack cheese was so creamy and warm - it mixed perfectly with the salsa-soaked peppers. I was so happy to use fresh cilantro from my little herb garden, too. Go team. 

Also, I've had a few questions regarding "EVOO". It's a Rachel Ray thing. It stands for Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and it's officially in the dictionary now. "Did you know thaaat? Nowww you knowww." That was Bill Nye the Science Guy in case you thought I've finally gone mental. 

Great. Now I have the Bill Nye song in my head...

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Spicy Chicken Pizza with Pepper Jack Cheese and Cilantro

recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction 

1 T EVOO
1/2 C chopped red onion
3 cups diced fresh red, yellow and green bell peppers

1 lb homemade pizza dough

1/2 cup homemade salsa
2 cups (8 oz.) pepper jack cheese, shredded

Chopped cilantro

1 ½ cups cooked and shredded chicken

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell peppers; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, unroll pizza dough onto a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray; press dough evenly to all edges of pan. Bake in preheated 425°F 8 minutes. 3. Stir salsa into cooked vegetables; spread over partially baked crust. Top with chicken and cheese.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Cut into squares; garnish with cilantro or oregano if desired.

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Simple No Knead Olive Oil Pizza Dough 

recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction

2-3/4 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup EVOO
6-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.

Mix in the flour without kneading. I found this process to be incredible simple with my stand mixer, but it will certainly come together the old fashioned way. If you are not using a machine, you may need to wet your hands in order to incorporate the bit of flour.

Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.

 
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