It really works!

a couple of weeks ago i was talking to one of my cousins and he was telling me about a recipe he saw on pinterest for bread. the caption of it was something like "two ingredient bread, so good and easy!" turns out the two ingredients are self-rising flour and any type of ice cream you want.

that's it. now, i was pretty skeptical and thought it sounded like on of those "good ideas" on pinterest that in reality turn out to be a disaster. well, fast-forward to this week and a co-worker of mine sent me this two ingredient bread recipe and told me try it. so i decided, what's there to lose? that, and i wanted to see if it really worked. i was pleasantly surprised to find it actually did!

for all of you skeptics out there, this is why it works. ice cream is made up of eggs, dairy, fat and all that good stuff. when you combine it with self rising flour you have a bake-capable product and voila, two ingredient bread. however, i found that i didn't love the bread. it wasn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite. on the other hand, i had mixed reviews from my family  some loved it, some disliked it, and some felt how i did. i'm really glad i tried it, but i don't think i'll be adding it to my list of favorites.

Ice Cream BreadMakes: 8 x 4 loaf
Ingredients:
2 Cups Ice Cream, any flavor, softened
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
Directions
[1] Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Spray and flour a 8 x 4 loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.
[2] In a medium bowl mix the ice cream and flour together until just combined.
[3] Scoop into the loaf pan and smooth out.
[4] Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the loaf comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it.
[5] Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
* For best results..use full fat ice-cream!

Suprise 2X

i'm sorry. I've become a failure of a blogger and cook. my blogs have been inconsistent. my cooking has dwindled to one night every other week, and the things I've been making haven't been all that adventurous. I wish I could say I have these grand plans of doing better, but I can't. i'm growing up, and I don't have time every week (as sad as that sounds) to make a meal consistently. i'm not going to stop blogging and i'm most certainly NOT going to stop cooking...it just won't be as consistent. to make up for my lameness I made a surprise for all you faithful viewers who have put up with me these last few months. make sure you watch all of it because there's a surprise at the end ;)

potato cheese soup

sorry it's been a while since i last posted. the cord for my camera to get my pictures on to the computer went mia, but thankfully i found it last night. so here we go! the other night i made potato cheese soup. it was perfect for a sunless rainy day. i got the recipe from Renee's cookbook, but i added carrots to the recipe to give the soup some texture. my mom always made this soup for us kids growing up and i love it!

Potato Cheese Soup
SERVES: 4
 Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 c. boiling water, lightly salted
2 medium-sized carrots, diced
Milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
Pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
[1] Add potatoes and onion to boiling water. Cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
[2] Meanwhile cook carrots in microwave or over stove until tender.
[3] Mash tender potatoes and onions lightly; do not drain.
[4] Add milk to make soup about 5 cups.
[5] Blend butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Stir into potato mixture.
[6] Cook and stir until mixture thickens, then add tender carrots and cheese. Cook until cheese is partially melted. Serve immediately.

family dinner

my brother, Jesse, just graduated last sunday from his jockey program and came back home for a week off before he heads to Maryland (read more here). it's been great having him around! last night we had a family dinner with the whole family minus Jon & Kali, because they're having too much fun in Argentina or New Zealand...wherever they are in the southern hemisphere! (read more here).  anyways, i had the pleasure of making dinner for everyone last night! i made skillet chicken and ravioli, parmesan zucchini and a baguette on the side, with double-chocolate swirl pound cake for desert. lucky for us, the weather was beautiful so we were able to eat outside. it was so much fun sitting out on our back deck with the family, laughing and sharing over supper. my family loved the meal. however, i adjusted the recipe for the skillet a bit, because turns out our local IGA doesn't have such delicacies as frozen ravioli (i didn't have time to make my own). i used  tortellini as a substitute, which worked out fine. the recipe also called for mushrooms, which i was hesitant to put in because i am not that big of a mushroom fan, but i decided to give it a go. i'm so glad i did because i absolutely loved them! the mushrooms were also my dad's favorite part of the dish and my brother, who feels the same way on mushrooms as i do, loved them too! lesson learned: try the foods you don't like because they might just surprise you! the dessert was really good too, but my only complaint would be, as usual, double the glaze!

Recipes:

Skillet Chicken Ravioli
TIME: 30 minutes SERVES: 4 (i doubled this recipe for my family)
Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 9-ounce package small cheese ravioli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Freshly ground pepper
8 ounces white mushrooms, halved
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, basil or a combination

Directions: 

[1] Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook as the label directs; drain, then drizzle with olive oil and toss.
[2] Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; cook, undisturbed, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate.
[3] Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and continue to cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet, then add the ravioli, broth and parmesan; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Top with the parsley.

For the Parmesan Zucchini all i did was saute the zucchini and sprinkle parmesan on top when they were tender. Delicious and easy way to cook zucchini.

Double-Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake

TIME: 1 hour 26 minutes SERVES: 16

Ingredients: 

1 3/4 cups sugar 
1/3 cup canola oil 
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups) 
3.4 ounces whole-wheat pastry flour (about 3/4 cup) [ can substitute for all-purpose]
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light sour cream 
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 
1 teaspoon canola oil 
1 ounce chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
Baking spray with flour

Glaze: [double this]
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons 2% reduced-fat milk 
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

[1] Preheat oven to 350°.

[2] Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating until incorporated. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

[3] Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level. Combine flours, powder, soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine sour cream and 1/4 cup milk. Add flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

[4] Combine 1 teaspoon canola oil and chopped bittersweet chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave at HIGH for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons cocoa. Remove 2 1/2 cups vanilla batter; add to chocolate mixture, and stir.

[5] Using 2 ice-cream scoops or 2 large spoons, add batters alternately to a 10-cup Bundt pan coated with baking spray; swirl.

[6] Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

[7] Combine powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; stir until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Orange-Glazed Baked Chicken

last night was they very first time i hosted potluck. my friend and i are in it together as a "couple". since i hosted the potluck at my house, it was my duty to cook the meat. i knew i wanted to do chicken breasts and i thought something citrusy would be fun. i found a recipe for orange-glazed baked chicken in our church cook book. it looked like it would be perfect, but i decided to do a trial run on my family the week before. the recipe called for a cut-up chicken, but i adapted the cooking time to make it work for boneless skinless chicken breasts. after my family and i taste tested it, we all decided that it would be better with a few alterations: rub the chicken in salt before coating the chicken with the flour mixture and double the sauce so there would be extra to pour over it after serving. with these few minor changes, the chicken turned out wonderfully and delicious! i loved that the dish was not too complicated and involved, but still looked beautiful.

for my family i served rice on the side with the chicken

my version of Orange Glazed Baked Chicken

SERVES: 8 TIME: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

8 (6 oz.) Boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 c. Butter

1 c. Flour

2 tsp. Paprika

salt

Glaze:

1 c. Brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

2 c. Orange juice

Directions: 

[1] Preheat oven to 375. Melt the margarine or butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

[2] Mix the flour and paprika. Rub the chicken in salt then coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Place in the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. 

[3] Turn the breasts over and continue baking for another 10 minutes. 

[4] While chicken bakes, make the glaze. Blend the brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the orange juice. Heat the mixture until clear.

[5] Pour the glaze over the chicken, reserving about 3/4 c. for extra sauce, and continue to bake another 10 minutes, or until chicken is nice and tender.

[6] Serve chicken with the extra sauce on the side.

Saucy Ribs and Parmesan Potatoes

 two weeks ago I made saucy ribs and parmesan potatoes. i was looking for an easy crock pot recipe and came across this recipe for ribs in Renee's cook book. if you don't have her cookbook you should get one; she has some fantastic recipes. but back to the ribs. i've never made ribs before so i decided to give it a whirl. they were good, but not one of my favorites. this is probably due to the fact that i'm not really a big fan of ribs. they're just so messy and i feel like a cannibal eating them. anyways my family did like them a lot, so if you're a ribs fan, i would definitely suggest trying them. the parmesan potatoes came from our church's cook book. i absolutely loved them! crispy on the outside but soft on the inside; now that is my kind of potato!

Recipes: 
Saucy Spareribs
TIME: 7 hours SERVES: 6-8 
 Ingredients:
4-5 lb. pork spareribs or 3-4 boneless country style ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic salt to taste
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4c. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. pepper
Directions: 
Season ribs with salt, garlic salt, and pepper; place in crock pot on HIGH for 6 hours or until tender. Meanwhile in a saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Add reaming ingredients; mix well. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Drain juices from ribs in crock pot. Pour sauce over ribs. Cook at least one hour longer.

Parmesan Potatoes
TIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ingredients: 
6 potatoes (5 to 6 c., cubed)
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1/3 c. butter
Directions: 
Peel potatoes and cut in cubes. Combine flour, cheese, salt and pepper in large baggie. Add moist potatoes to bag and shake gently to coat. Melt butter in 9x13-inch baking dish. Place potatoes over the butter. Bake at 375 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning once during baking.

Cheesy Penne with Broccoli and Herbed Breadsticks!

once again, sorry for the no post last week...my family and i got home from florida the beginning of last week so i didn't cook until the weekend and i haven't gotten a chance to blog until now! so, here we go! i made cheesy penne with broccoli and herbed breadsticks. both of these recipes i got from Cooking Light, and both were easy and fast! i had almost all the ingredients for them at home except for the broccoli. the meal only took twenty minutes total to make and it was delicious. i'd say it was a win-win situation. if you're ever in a rush, or even not in a rush, try this!

Recipes:

Herbed Breadsticks
TIME: 15 minutes SERVES: 4
Ingredients:
4 oz. of leftover Pizza or Bread dough [i used half of this recipe]
1 Tbps. chopped Oregano
1 Tbsp. chopped Thyme
Cooking Spray
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
[1] Pre-heat oven to 425.
[2] Roll out dough in an 8 x 4-inch rectangle. Sprinkle herbs over it. Fold dough over twice; knead 4 times.
[3] Roll into an 8 x 4-inch rectangle once again. Cut into 4 (4 x 2-inch) rectangles; twist.
[4] Arrange on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake for 10 minutes.
[5] Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper.


Cheesy Penne with Broccoli
TIME: 20 minutes SERVES: 4
Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked mini penne pasta
5 cups broccoli florets (about 1 medium head)
1 1/3 cups fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2.5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup)
Directions:
[1] Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to pan; drain. Place pasta and broccoli in a large bowl.
[2] Combine milk and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add cheese mixture to pasta mixture; toss. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.