Creamy Raspberry Chicken

Does anyone else get sick of food?  I mean, come on!  If I have to eat spaghetti one more time this month I may go crazy.  I am really needing a change in my menu to help me enjoy dinner again.  This recipe helped with my boredom.  At least it was a little different than what we usually eat.  I call this "creamy" because I added a little whipping cream to it.  And I added whipping cream to it because anytime I can do that, I do.  But the whipping cream did give it a kind of melty, creamy, smooth flavor.  Which helped to make this a yummy change for eating chicken.  So, if you are bored with your regular menu, try a little creaminess and raspberry-ness with your chicken!

Creamy Raspberry Chicken

adapted from www.allrecipes.com

1/3 c. flour

1 Tbsp. lemon pepper

2 tsp. dried rosemary

4 chicken breasts, cut in half (or fourths)

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 c. raspberry vinaigrette dressing

1/4 c. whipping cream

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, lemon pepper and rosemary and shake it up well.  Add your chicken pieces and shake it again until the chicken is well coated.  Heat your oil in a large skillet and fry the chicken pieces until browned and cooked through.  Take out the chicken and set it aside and pour the raspberry vinaigrette dressing in the pan.  Simmer it until it is reduced by half.  Return the chicken to the pan and add the whipping cream.  Cook it until most of the liquid is absorbed.  I served mine with rice.  The recipe actually said to serve it with coconut rice, which would be oh so yummy.  I didn't have time to make it, but you should definitely try it that way.  

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Waffles with Peanut Butter Glaze

Nicole and I decided to start trying out a new waffle recipe every other week.  Someday we want to open a waffle shop together (I should give Monica some credit here, too.  She is going to be our restaraunt cleaner.)  When I told my mom we were going to do this project, she immediately said "Are you going to make dad's chocolate waffles?"  I don't think that my dad actually has any chocolate waffles that he could really call his own, but there is a legend in our family, that when Mom had a baby (maybe Nicole?) and Dad was in charge for a couple of days, he made us all chocolate waffles for dinner.  And I don't think we liked them.  It is joked about quite often.  So, I went ahead and started out our Waffle Project with some chocolate waffles.  I found a recipe for Chocolate pancakes, adapted them for waffles and doctored them up a bit with more chocolate.  The peanut butter glaze I found on allrecipes.com, and is incredibly easy and yummy.  The waffles (er, pancakes) recipe was from a website that I now can't find and so I can't give (whoever they were) credit.  And it actually called for bananas, which I added, but Dustin and I thought they would be better without.  If you want to add those in, go ahead!  It was two mashed bananas, folded in just before cooking.  Otherwise, enjoy these chocolate waffles, dedicated to our Dear Ol' Dad.  

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Waffles

adapted by: Carolyn

1 c. white flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Glaze

2/3 c. powdered sugar

4 tsp. water

1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

For the waffles, in a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, milk and oil and mix it well.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cook in your waffle iron, adding a couple more minutes than your waffles normally take.  I checked mine after the normal time and they usually needed a minute more.  Make sure and spray your waffle iron in between every couple of rounds of waffles.  The chocolate chips make it stick a little more than usual.  Also, be sure to stir the batter every time before pouring it on the iron to get the chocolate chips off of the bottom. 

For the glaze, in a small bowl, add all the ingredients and stir it until it is smooth and creamy.  And that's all.

Carrot Cake Waffles

Oh man, is this an awesome recipe! I love love love waffles, and Carolyn and I have made a goal to try out a different waffle recipes and post them here to find our favorites. This one was so much fun, I couldn't resist making it. I found the recipe last night while perusing through food blogs, as I often do, and as Matt slept on the floor. I wasn't tired, so when I found this recipe I couldn't wait to make it until morning. I whipped it up and had it almost all ready for breakfast in the morning. What a fun way to start out our weekend.

I found this recipe and adapted it from one of my new favorite food blogs, Willow Bird Baking.

Carrot Cake Waffles

Waffle Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 3/4 cups buttermilk* or 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins (if desired. I chose to leave them out- yuck.)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
Cooking spray for waffle iron

Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
1. **Melt butter and set aside to cool.

2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and spices.

3. Mix together the buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute) and the egg yolks. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Spray the waffle iron well and preheat it. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

4. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a whisk or electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter. Add carrots and nuts (and raisins if desired). Stir gently to combine.

5. Spoon batter in like regular waffle and cook.

6. To make Maple Cream Cheese spread, combine nuts, syrup, and cream cheese and mix well. Serve waffles immediately with a dollop of Maple Cream Cheese spread and a drizzle of syrup.

Notes:
* The buttermilk can be substituted with 1 1/4 cups of milk at room temperature, mixed with two tablespoons white vinegar, left to clabber for 10 minutes (I won’t write the definition for clabber here, it doesn’t sound appetizingJ).
** If you are more motivated than me, you can try “blooming” the spices in butter which adds flavor: Heat 4 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Low-Fat Berry Marble Cheesecake

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

12 to 16 servings

Prep: 40 minutes
Bake:: 45 minutes
Cool:: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup crushed graham crackers (about 5 squares)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or just use cinnamon graham crackers like I did)

3 8-ounce packages nonfat cream cheese

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel (says optional, but it’s not optional! I used the zest of one lemon.)

1/2 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product (thawed)

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup nonfat sour cream (For my topping, I chose to whip 3/4 cup-ish of heavy cream with a tbsp.-ish of sugar until formed stiff peaks, and then mixed in a few dollops of sour cream. I loved the topping swirled with the raspberry preserves!)

1/4 cup seedless red raspberry preserves

sliced strawberries for topping

1Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

2. For crust, stir together crushed graham crackers and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of a well-greased 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Set pan aside.

3. For filling, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and, if desired, lemon peel in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the refrigerated or thawed egg product all at once, beating on low speed just until combined (do not overbeat). Stir in milk.

4. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes for an 8-inch pan or 35 to 40 minutes for a 9-inch pan, or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken.

5. Cool in springform pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan with a thin-bladed knife or narrow spatula and cool 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan; cool 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Top with nonfat sour cream and spoon on seedless red raspberry preserves; swirl with a spoon. Add sliced strawberries if desired. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

· Calories 164 (maybe a little more if you make my topping). Isn’t that so lightJ

S'more Cookies

I saw this idea on another blog and when I went back to find it and make it, I couldn't find it. Who's blog was it? I do not know. So, I made up my own version. I just used a recipe that I love for triple chocolate cookies and then added the other fixins' to make it what I wanted. And, they turned out great!

Triple Chocolate Cookies, or S'more Cookies

adapted from www.allrecipes.com

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar (the recipe calls for 1 1/2 c. but I always use less sugar in cookies-and then I add more chocolate chips to counteract any health I may have given myself :)

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

2/3 c. cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 bag milk chocolate chips

1/3 bag white chocolate chips

1/3 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

4-5 graham crackers, broken into bite size pieces

1 c. mini marshmallows

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the butter, eggs and vanilla and beat it until it is light and fluffy. In another bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and then stir it into the other mixture until it is well blended. I must confess here, I rarely do this step. I just throw all the dry ingredients into the main bowl and then make sure that I mix it really well. I've never had a problem. Is there a reason it always says to do this? Do you know? Am I over mixing cookies? Would they be better if I did this the right way? Then add your chocolate chip varieties and stir it well. Gently stir in the graham crackers. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and then smoosh (yes, I just used that word) in a few mini marshmallows on top of each cookie. Bake them for 8-10 minutes. When you bake these, the marshmallows roast in your oven and taste so yummy! The graham cracker gives it a fun little crunch.

If you want to eat them as triple chocolate cookies, just leave out the graham crackers and marshmallows. We did it both ways and it is a great recipe either way, but with those marshmallows on top, the kids couldn't resist them. And frankly, neither could Dustin. And double-frankly, neither could I.