Fresh Veggies | Roasted Artichokes

I love restaurant-style spinach and artichoke dip. Really, though, who doesn't? Aside from the wonderful appetizer served by so many restaurant chains, and occasionally using artichoke hearts in a recipe, my experience with these prickly vegetables has been minimal.

When I saw them on sale at the store though - well, I am an opportunist shopper, after all. Good side dish, I thought.

So, I roasted them. Knowing nothing about artichokes (other than the canned variety), I let Google educate me a little before I started, of course! I came across this assortment of fresh artichoke recipes. As always, I made it my own, but I have to give it to Ms. Stephanie Lyness - delish! Thanks for introducing me to a new side of artichokes :)

Oh, as a note: the original recipe called for 8 baby artichokes, but I had full-sized ones and they came out fantastic, so my version below uses those.

Roasted Artichokes
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 50 minutes
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Ingredients:

2 artichokes

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the artichokes in half, length-wise.

Remove the choke and sprinkle with salt and pepper. For those of you who don't know what the choke is - I didn't - it's the fuzzy part in the center, toward the stem. Just take a paring knife and slice along the base of the fuzzy part. Then, take a spoon and dig it out, like a grapefruit slice. Piece of cake... once you figure out the choke. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan.

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 clove of minced garlic, the oregano, the crushed red pepper, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Whisk until mixed through. Brush over artichokes.

A picture is worth 1000 words. This one might be worth 1000 tastes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place artichokes face-down in pan with olive oil and cook with onions and remaining garlic until artichokes have browned, about 8 minutes. Rotate periodically. Add water to pan.

Cover and bake, face-down, for 20 minutes. Uncover and roast for 10 additional minutes.

So simple. So delicious. Definitely better than all the calories in the dip.

Although, I will say, next time, I want to top them with crumbled bacon and balsamic vinegar. Ooooo... ideas...

Cookie Monday | Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

I know, I know.

Cookie Monday on a Tuesday... shame, shame.

I know. I know... I promise, I'll work on it. But if the guys in the shop don't complain... well... these cookies are worth the wait. I swear.

These are Red Velvet Cheesecake cookies. When I first saw this recipe, from Two Peas and Their Pod, I thought, "no way."

No, really, no way. Cheesecake-filled cookies? Wow. My two favorite desserts... in one... imagine the applications, the implications. This is like my cookie kryptonite. My cookitonite. Seriously. These might be a problem.

Anyways, make these giant, delicious orbs of red velvety goodness. I promise you will enjoy every cheesecakey, wonderful bite. And before you scoff at the filling part, it's not as hard as you think. Really, just mix, freeze, and squish into giant yummy cookie balls. Super easy and so delicious you'll want to eat every single giant tasty cookie.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
Slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod's original recipe, here.
Yield | 10 giant cookies

Prep Time | 10 minutes
Cook Time | 11-13 minutes
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Ingredients:

Cookie Dough

1 package red velvet cake mix (I know, totally cheating, but I promise... no one will be able to tell! I used Duncan Hines, so good)

2 tablespoons flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For white chocolate icing, see my White Chocolate Ganache recipe.

Mix all ingredients for dough together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

While dough is chilling, prepare your cheesecake filling. Mix all filling ingredients together. Scoop into tablespoon-sized balls and place on wax paper. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take roughly 1/4 cup cookie dough and wrap it around 1 scoop of cheesecake filling. Make sure it completely covers the filling so nothing leaks out. Place 3 cookies on a baking sheet (trust me, the original poster is correct, they really do expand) and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Let cool and frost with your icing. Eat. Enjoy. SO. GOOD.

Be honest. Really, could you resist?

Kitchen Classics | Chicken Cord en Bleu

I have something to admit to you. All of you.

I don't like ham.

I don't really care for Swiss cheese, either.

However, even I'm a sucker for homemade chicken cord en bleu. It started as a way to get rid of extra Christmas ham. And now, we're stuck with it. It is a boyfriend-approved and oft-requested recipe.

So, chicken cord en bleu it is. He's been asking for it for a little while now, but we've only had frozen bag chicken. Anytime I have to beat the crud out of a chicken breast, I prefer the fresh, meat section kind - the frozen ones just don't... smoosh... quite as nicely as the butcher section cuts.

It's easy, quick, and completely tasty. I hope your family loves them as much as we did!

Chicken Cord en Bleu
Yield | 3-4 servings

Prep Time | 5-7 minutes
Bake Time | 20 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts

8-10 slices of ham (depending on how many chicken breasts)

5-6 slices of Swiss cheese (same as above)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cracker crumbs (or panko, breadcrumbs, etc)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Cooking spray

Three flattened chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pound chicken breasts out to 1/4 inch thickness. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with 1-1 1/2 slices Swiss cheese and 2 slices of ham. Roll together tightly. Repeat with each chicken breast.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and crumbs. Lightly spray each chicken roll with cooking spray and  coat with the crumbs, covering each side.

Yup, some of those crumbs are definitely multi-grain Cheerios. I substituted. You know what, they were delicious.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Uhmm, yum. For real. So good. Love it.

On the Grill | Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple

One of my favorite things about North Carolina summers is that they being in February. Yes, the bugs are terrible and no one really likes 105 degree days unless they're at the beach, so it does have its downfalls.

Nothing beats nearly year-round grilling, though.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken is probably one of my absolute favorite summertime eats. The sweet taste of grilled pineapple, the salty soy sauce, the spice of the cayenne... fantastic dish, inspired by the Shoyu Chicken recipe here.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple
Yield | 4 servings

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 30 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 lb chicken thighs (or legs, breasts, your choice! Skin-on is fantastic for this, as well.)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup pineapple juice

3 cloves garlic

1/2 onion (I used a sweet Vidalia onion, so good!)

1/2 tablespoon oregano

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6-8 pineapple rings

Whisk all marinade ingredients in a bowl until mixed through. The spices are completely adjustable - this marinade has a good heat to it, but if you're not a fan of spice, feel free to cut back the cayenne and crushed red peppers.

Reserve 2/3 cup marinade for later use. Pour remaining marinade over chicken and add 2-3 rings of pineapple, reserving at least 1 per serving for the grill. Let your chicken soak in the flavors in the refrigerator for at least one hour (longer, if possible).

I LOVE grilled pineapple.

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard the leftover marinade and pineapple rings) and place on the grill until cooked through, basting often with the reserved marinade. Add pineapple rings a few minutes before chicken is cooked through, brushing lightly with marinade.

Once chicken is nice and dark on both sides, top with pineapple and serve.

I've made this recipe at least once every 2-3 weeks since I discovered it, and I'm not really a recipe-repeater, except in rare cases, like my mom's banana bread and my dad's chili. This is definitely a repeater. Boyfriend-approved.

Next time: Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies... Decadent and creamy cheesecake-filled cookies, a Cookie Monday feature! I've been busy this weekend, that's for sure!

Gameday Grub | Deviled Egg Challenge

The Bruins are fighting to stay in the playoffs today - if they win today, they go to game 7. If they don't, well, I'll have a very sad boyfriend until football season distracts him. Or the Red Sox go to the World Series.

My Blackhawks aren't in any better of a position. They squeaked out a victory in OT, but have to win the next game to stay in until game 7... it's an anxious hockey season, that's for sure.

We need something tasty. Something different. All right, Allrecipes. Let's see what you've got to offer me.

I've mentioned eggs are a staple in our household. Well, deviled eggs are among our egg faves. The same ol' mayo, mustard, sweet relish combo gets old after awhile, though. So, the Deviled Egg Challenge flag was thrown.

Three recipes. Three contenders. C'mon, Allrecipes, give us something good. The recipes below are three of the highest rated on the site. Let's see what we've got here...

Deviled Egg Challenger #1: Spicy Horseradish Deviled Eggs. Horseradish, mustard, and sweet relish gives these a sweet and spicy flavor. Thanks, Sara on Allrecipes, for this one!
Deviled Egg Challenger #2: Balsamic & Bacon Deviled Eggs, Stephanie V's Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs. Sweet and tangy Balsamic vinegar with savory bacon - great combination!
Deviled Egg, Challenger #3: Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs inspired by UserEmily3260. Bacon and cheddar is always a fantastic duo. Can't go wrong there!

Let the battle begin!

*Each of these start with hard boiled eggs. If you need tips, try this guide by Simply Recipes. Great resource!

Spicy Horseradish Deviled Eggs
Adapted from Sara's Special Deviled Eggs recipe, posted on Allrecipes.com.
Yield | 12 servings
Prep Time | 5 minutes, plus 15 to chill

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Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet Vidalia, my favorite!)
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, for garnish

Slice eggs in half, length-wise. Scoop out yolks. Mix yolks and all ingredients, except paprika, until creamy. Scoop into egg halves. Garnish with paprika and refrigerate for 15 minutes until chilled through.


Balsamic & Bacon Deviled Eggs
Courtesy of Stephanie V's Bacon-Balsamic Deviled Eggs recipe on Allrecipes.com.
Yield | 12 servings
Prep Time | 5 minutes, plus 15 to chill

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Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs
3 slices bacon, crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Slice eggs in half, length-wise. Scoop out yolks. Mix yolks and all ingredients, except parsley, until creamy.  Scoop into egg halves. Garnish with parsley and refrigerate for 15 minutes until chilled.

We didn't have any fresh parsley on hand, and it's raining, so I didn't feel like going out, so mine aren't very pretty. That's okay, though, still tasty!

Bacon-Cheddar Deviled Eggs
Inspired by UserEmily3260's Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs, from Allrecipes.com.
Yield | 12 servings
Prep Time | 5 minutes, plus 15 to chill

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Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 slices bacon

2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon sweet relish

Cayenne pepper, to garnish

Slice eggs in half, length-wise. Scoop out yolks and mix with remaining ingredients, except cayenne pepper, until creamy.  Scoop into egg halves. Garnish with cayenne pepper and refrigerate for 15 minutes until chilled through.

I clearly need a piping tool.

And the winner is...

Bacon-Cheddar Deviled Eggs. Once again, not real surprised. You just can't beat the bacon and cheddar combination! "It's killer," to quote the boyfriend. Just killer.

He did, however, enjoy all of them. The Bacon-Cheddar just took the cake.

Either way, they're all delicious and inexpensive. Great appetizers for any occasion. And 100s more varieties, I'm sure!

Man Meal | The Grilled Chriswich

You have the boyfriend to thank for this little, tasty bonus gem.

For breakfast today, he decides he wants a sandwich - with bacon, fried eggs, ham, and cheese. 

Okay, honey. Sure thing. And so, the Grilled Chriswich was born, and named for its creator: the boyfriend (Chris). 

Here you go! Worth every caloric bite (and it is just chock full of them, of course), and protein-filled. I could only make this worse for you if I deep-fried it. A manwich at its best.

The Grilled Chriswich
Yield | 2 sandwiches

Prep Time | 5 minutes
Cook Time | 5-6 minutes
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Ingredients:

4 slices bread, thick-cut
6 slices deli ham
4 eggs
4 slices bacon
3 slices cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons butter
Honey mustard, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Butter the outsides of each slice of bread. On the bottom slice, place 1/2 slice of cheddar cheese, 3 slices of ham topped with honey mustard, the 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of bacon (broken in half), and a full slice of cheese. On the inside of the top slices, apply a thin layer of mayonnaise and add to the top of the sandwich. Grill each side on the skillet, pressing down with your spatula so everything sticks together nicely.

Ooey, gooey and bacony. He loved it, of course.

Enjoy - I think my boyfriend may be cheating on me with this sandwich.

Gameday Grub | Buffalo Chicken Bites

Oh my.

These... well, these were fantastic. They are, already, a gameday snack requirement. I mentioned yesterday how important gamedays are in our house. If only you could see the boyfriend, completely decked out in Bruins gear, screaming at the top of his lungs - the Bruins just tied the game.

I don't know if our dogs will ever recover. The big one is under the coffee table.

Great. Now I'm not allowed to move from my seat. He thinks I'm good luck. I swear, I just sat down for a minute! Thankfully, I have nothing in the oven.

Oh well, I love hockey. And, let's be honest, I don't really want to clean the house, anyways.

Back to the point. The best part about gamedays is the food. We always have something special on gamedays: jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, fried just-about-anything. They're a big deal.

These delicious, creamy, cheesy, spicy Buffalo Chicken Bites pretty much top the list of the hundreds and hundreds of gameday snack recipes we've played with this year.

They are just wonderful and the dough can be used for so many things. It's even good with nothing stuffed inside it. I can't wait to try different fillings, like potato, cheese, and bacon (and a little ranch, of course!). So versatile.

Plus, these little bites are great to freeze. Just cook them halfway, baste, cool, and freeze. Costs a third of the frozen snacks. In our house, this is ridiculously important. Snacks are a way of life.

The best part about these: I was able to fix 'em up so they weren't too time-consuming. Did I mention you can freeze them?

A very special thanks to What's Cookin' Chicago? for introducing me to this snacktastic recipe. Find the original here. My adaptation, below, is a little creamier and cheesier, and a little quicker. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Bites
Yield | Roughly 48 bites

Prep Time | 15 minutes, plus 2 hours to rise
Cook Time | 6-8 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 packet rapid rise yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cooked chicken
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup hot sauce*
4 tablespoons bleu cheese dressing (or ranch, if you prefer!)

Stir brown sugar into warm milk until completely dissolved. Pour into large mixing bowl. Now, as a note, I don't have a mixer, like the original poster, so these are the directions by hand. If you have a mixer, fantastic! Use it, as I live vicariously though you. I'm jealous :) Luckily, these aren't too difficult at all to make by hand.

Add flour and yeast to bowl and stir until mixed well and dough. Pour onto lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 5 -7 minutes.

Spread a light coating of oil over a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise for roughly two hours.

While the dough rises, make your filling. Combine the remaining ingredients. I used canned chicken to cut down on time and it turned out great because it shreds up so easily. And we *always use Franks! So good.

"We put that sh*t on everything" is practically our household motto.

Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

After dough has doubled in size and bubbles have formed on the surface, set dough on floured surface and cut into four pieces. Take the first piece and roll until it is roughly 12 inches long, like a long rope. Use your rolling pin to stretch it out until it is 4 inches wide, 12 inches long.

Scoop 1/4 of the filling onto the 1/3 of the dough.

Fold in half and pinch to close on all sides. Roll into a 12 inch-long "rope."

Cut the "rope" into 12 pieces and place on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden brown. Melt two tablespoons butter or margarine and brush over bites, salting lightly. Let cool for a couple minutes and devour.

So very, very tasty.

If you want to freeze them, bake them for 4-5 minutes, or until the dough is hard but not yet browning.

EDIT 4/24/2012: Reheated my frozen ones - SO GOOD. Very pleased with this recipe!


Next time: Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken & Grilled Pineapple... one of my all-time favorite chicken marinades. I love anything with soy sauce, though, and pineapple only makes it better!

DIY Take-Out | Orange Chicken & Veggie Lo Mein

Out of respect for hockey playoffs, and with the series 1-3 for my Blackhawks and 2-2 for his Bruins, the Buffalo Bites are going to be a gameday snack. 

Gameday snacks are very, very important. Especially for the boyfriend. See, we don't do the whole cable thing. We just don't watch that much TV. 

(Netflix and Hulu are incredible inventions.)

We do have a cable receiver box that hangs on the wall, though. It gets all the basic channels, plus a few random others. No idea what they are, because we seriously use it just for sports. Nothing else. Somehow, we manage to pick up a good chunk of the boyfriend's Boston games. A handful of mine. Lots of baseball, though (go Cubs!) so that makes me happy.

So, gamedays are important. Especially when the series is 2-2 for the Bruins. And for really important gamedays, you need extra tasty snacks.

Never fear, though - I found something super tasty to make instead of the bites. And, to make up for lack of Buffalo Bites, it's a two-for-one. Awesome, right? I know, I try.

The boyfriend was feeling Chinese food last night. When we order Chinese food, we eat it for a month. No joke. So. Much. Food.

Well, hello there, interwebs. A few seconds on Google and we have an amazingly delicious-looking recipe for Orange Chicken. Thank you, Harry Wetzel on Allrecipes for bringing this to my attention! My version, inspired by Wetzel's Asian Orange Chicken, is below. I may never order take-out again.

Orange Chicken
Yield | 2-3 servings

Prep Time | 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to chill
Cook Time | 30 minutes
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Worth every bite.

Ingredients:

For the Sauce & Marinade

1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

In a bowl, whisk all of the ingredients for the sauce and marinade, except the chicken, starch, and cold water, until mixed through. 

Pour 3/4 cup of the sauce into a plastic bag and add chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Try substituting some of the brown sugar
with honey, so good!

While the chicken is marinating, pour the rest of your sauce into a pan over medium-high heat. Allow to simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and add to sauce, continuing to simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside. 

For the Breading

3 egg whites

3/4 cup cornstarch (or flour)

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Oil for frying 

*Panko is amazing, and one of my required foodstuffs. I love it, and I use a lot of it. Light, yet crispy, it makes a great breading for just about any fried anything. However, if you don't have any on hand, substitute with 1/2 cup crunched up corn flakes, unseasoned breadcrumbs (anything crunchy and unseasoned, really), or 1/4 cup flour.

Heat oil to 350 degrees F. I use just enough to cover the chicken bites when I fry. Whisk egg whites in a dish and prepare your coating. In a bag, mix cornstarch, panko, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.

Coat chicken in egg. Add to bag and shake to coat. Cook in oil until golden brown, setting on a couple paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Crunchy, tasty chicken bites - great with any sauce, or plain!

Toss in sauce and voila! Tangy orange chicken with just enough burn. I don't think I'll ever go back. 

I did, however, promise a two-for-one deal! So, here is a recipe for Veggie Lo Mein. I went the easy route and used a frozen mix of stir fry vegetables (with some extra fresh mushrooms added), but as long as you have 2-3 cups of veggies (and some additional prep time for slicin' and dicin'), you'll be just fine!


Veggie Lo Mein
Yield | 3-4 servings

Cook Time | 25 minutes
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Ingredients:

1/2 package thin spaghetti, cooked al dente

2-3 cups mixed veggies (I used Birds Eye Broccoli Stir Fry mix, and added some extra fresh mushrooms)

3 eggs

1/3 cup teryaki sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce*

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons oil

*This is really to-taste. I used a little more soy sauce and less teryaki, but do what tastes right to you.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and egg. If you're using frozen, those will take a couple minutes longer, so wait 2-3 minutes before adding the egg.

Add pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes, rotating a couple times. Add sauce and cook for 5-6 minutes longer.

Doesn't look too shabby, for a frozen veggie mix (with extra mushrooms, of course!)...

Quick, easy, and tasty.

Enjoy! 

On the Grill | Blackened Tilapia with Fettuccine & Grilled Summer Veggies

Finally.

Sadly, the weather wasn't that spectacular for grilling. It's been 80+ degrees all week... until tonight. I still couldn't resist, though.

So, we grilled. Blackened tilapia and a ton of yummy veggies, all served with fettuccine. Thank you, How Sweet It Is, for the inspiration for this (found here).

Grilling, in my family, is basically an art form. A male-dominated art performed by my father and grandfather. Of course, when I moved in with the boyfriend, I happily relinquished the Grill Master privileges.

But who could resist the call of fresh vegetables? I certainly couldn't. 

The first summer we had the grill was great - frequent breaks from nightly meals. It was barely March when I was granted grilling rights. Still, the boyfriend is (for now) the Grill Master, but after a lengthy tutorial, I was granted access.

With very strict regulation, of course.

Let the fun begin.

Blackened Tilapia with Fettuccine & Grilled Summer Veggies
Yield | 3-4 servings

Prep Time | 10 minutes
Cook Time | 40 minutes

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Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets

1 package fettuccine pasta

2 ears of corn

2 zucchinis, quartered

1/2 red onion, quartered

1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into thick slices

1/3 cup EVOO

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

Blackening seasoning

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese

Preheat your grill, on high. Prep your veggies. How Sweet It Is had suggested leaving seeds and all in the tomatoes - did it, and it was incredible, almost like a light tomato sauce when all put together at the end. So I definitely suggest just chunking your tomatoes (and the other vegetables). Lightly spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill your corn in or out of the husk - I, like the original recipe, removed the husk from mine and wrapped my ears in aluminum foil after brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper. 

Brush the tilapia with olive oil and coat with blackening seasoning, salt, and pepper. I used Cajun seasoning instead - again, totally obsessed. Can't resist any urge to break into it. 

The corn takes a bit longer than the rest at about 30, so throw it on a few minutes before the zucchini, with the tilapia, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms last (they only take about 10 minutes). Cook your pasta while the veggies grill.

Cut veggies into bit-size pieces (tomato will be really smooshy, this is good!). Combine remaining olive oil with red pepper, salt and pepper, garlic, and oregano in a small dish. Coat fettuccine. Add vegetables, toss.

Sprinkle with parmesan. Voila! Boyfriend cleaned his plate. I'm pretty sure no one could resist this grilled tastiness, though...

Next time: Buffalo Chicken Bites... another stop on the quest to find freezable snackable bits featuring hot buffalo bleu cheesey-goodness.

Cookies! | Triple Chocolate Fudge

Almost too much chocolate for one cookie.

So, it's a dreary day outside, and in my boredom, I decided to make the extra cookie dough from Monday's cookies into Triple Chocolate Fudge cookies.

I took my Double Chocolate Cookies and took out the white chocolate chips.

The chips became a ganache.

And the ganache became a sweet, smooth white chocolate icing.

Top it with a milk chocolate Hershey's kiss and... voila! Triple Chocolate Fudge cookies.

I used the white chocolate ganache recipe below to coat the cookies (recipe can be found here). Once your cookies are baking, make your chocolate - it will need to chill.

Fresh, hot cookies.

White Chocolate Ganache
Yield | Enough for 12 cookies

Cook Time | 1-2 minutes, plus 15 minutes to chill
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Ingredients:

2 ounces white chocolate (I used Hershey's white chocolate chips)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Pour all ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave all ingredients in short 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, until chocolate is thick and smooth.

Microwave until smooth and creamy.

After the cookies were finished in the oven, I set them out to cool for 5-10 minutes, while the ganache finished setting in the fridge.

Once set, I scooped the ganache into a plastic baggy, cut the tip, and squeezed the sweet, creamy goodness onto the still-warm cookies in a spiral pattern while the cookies are still on the pan.

The warm white chocolate melts over the cookie while it stays warm on the pan.

Stick a Hershey's kiss in the middle and let the cookies sit for a couple minutes on the warm pan and the icing will melt all over their dark chocolatey deliciousness.

Probably one of my favorite variations of this cookie. So rich and chocolately, the gooey brownie-like cookie with the creamy white chocolate... so good. I highly recommend eating on right after the icing has gotten all melty - the Hershey kiss gets all soft and the middle all gooey.

Pour yourself a glass of cold milk and enjoy!

Easy Snack | Bacon Mac n' Cheesy Bites

Sorry, kiddies. Thanks to an allergy-fueled lazy night, the fettuccine has been postponed to tomorrow's update. Instead, I will be watching the Darkest Hour and vegging out with a delectable frozen pizza.

Still have to have movie snacks, though!

In fact, snack foods are probably the biggest necessity in our house. My boyfriend, who is in his late 20s, has the snacktabolism of a 16 year old. Recently, I've been buying these Hot Pocket Snacker things for him. They're good and they're easy, but at $3 a pack for only 12 little bite-sized bits, they just aren't cutting it.

So, I've been on the quest to find easy and inexpensive homemade alternatives. Preferably something that can be frozen and reheated later, or at least keep for a little bit in the fridge.

Playing around online led me to an interesting snack idea on Allrecipes.com: Easy Mac and Cheese Muffins. The original recipe is simple homemade goodness, but as always, I made it my own.

Plus, you can make it super easy and super quick by using packaged mac instead of making your own, though if you take that route, use 1/2 cup of shredded cheese in the mix (your choice), as well as a tablespoon of butter, otherwise they'll end up dry. I'm sure whether you make the match from scratch or from the package, it will taste absolutely wonderful!


Bacon Mac n' Cheesy Bites
Yield | 212 servings

Prep Time | 15 minutes
Cook Time | 40 minutes
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Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow pasta
1 1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese (or similar), shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs (Cheez-its make the BEST topping!)
5-6 slices of bacon, crumbled
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin tins.

The cheesier, the better.

Bring a pot of water to boil; add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain. Return pasta to pan and stir in butter, egg, milk, all cheese except 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (reserve for topping), crumbled bacon, and ranch. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Everything is better with bacon!

Spoon mixture into muffin tins. Top with remaining cheddar and breadcrumbs - we were out of Cheez-its, so I opted for Panko.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin.

The photo doesn't nearly capture their yummy-ness.

You can try so many variations of these. Buffalo mac, chili mac, anything you'd like in full-size mac n' cheese. And don't forget, to make these faster and cheaper, you can always substitute the pasta, cheese, butter and milk for pre-packaged mac n' cheese.

Boyfriend-approved. Then again, anything with bacon typically is! Cheesy, chewy, bacony goodness with just a hint of ranch.

Ohhh yeahhh...

Next time: Blackened Tilapia with Fettuccine and Grilled Summer Veggies... inspired by How Sweet It Is's Grilled Corn and Tomato Fettuccine... I promise! NO more allergy nights!

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