Homemade Irish Cream

Homemade Irish Cream

1 Cup Jameson’s Irish Whiskey

1 Cup of Light Cream

4 Eggs

1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Tsp. of Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp. Instant Coffee

1 Tbsp. Chocolate Syrup

Let’s sit in the fridge and chill for a day or two.  It’s better the longer it sits.  This will make 1 liter bottle. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

Great for gift giving or as a digestif or pousse-cafe!

Thanks for visiting!

 

Easy Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Artichokes

This is a quick, satisfying meal perfect for a busy night during the week.  I found this on Pinterest, but tweaked it, so here's my version....

Chicken breasts + the above is all you need.  Disclaimer:  I did not use white wine, it was bad and I wasn't going to open a new one up on a Tuesday night. (No really a bottle of wine went wasted in our home...shame). I used a cup of chicken broth instead.

This was assembled, not cooked yet.  Messy, but pretty.

This was after.  We scarfed it down, so no pretty plated picture.

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Artichokes

4 Chicken Breasts

2 Cloves of Garlic

1/2 Cup of  sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

1 Cup marinated artichoke hearts, undrained

1 Cup Chicken Broth

1/2 package (or to taste) of Onion Soup Recipe Mix (You know the one)

Preheat Oven to 350*

In a large bowl mix all ingredients (except chicken broth), including chicken, until the chicken is well-coated.  Pour chicken broth in roasting or baking dish.  Place chicken breasts with all of the good stuff on top in a roasting dish and cover with foil.  Bake for 20 minutes with foil.  Remove foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes.  Serve with rice, pasta or additional vegetables.

Notes: 

Original recipe called for 2 tbsp. of add'l olive oil.  Doesn't need it...oil from the artichokes & tomatoes is enough.

Chicken broth or wine isn't necessary or called for, I just find it nicely steams the chicken breasts and keeps them moist.

A full packet of the onion soup is cloying.  Unless you are an onion soup fanatic, a 1/2 package will suffice.

Thanks for visiting!!

 

TWICE!!

Mexican Chicken Parm

Or salsa chicken. Or weeknite goodness. Whatever you want to call it, it's freakin' awesome plus easy to make.

Mexican Chicken Parm

4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts

2 Cups of Medium Salsa + Some for Later

1 Cup Reduced Fat or FF Finely shredded Mexican Cheese Blend

Salt & Pepper

Garlic Powder & Paprika

FF Sour Cream & Guacamole

Marinate the chicken in 1 cup of salsa for 6+ hours, "mushing" it around from time to time.  Preheat oven to 375.  Place chicken in baking dish and sprinkle with freshly ground S & P and garlic.  Spoon on additional salsa.  Bake for 35 minutes and remove from oven.  At this point add cheese to your taste, I used a 1/4 cup per breast.  Sprinkle with paprika and broil for 5 minutes.  Let rest for a few minutes and serve. I served this with Arroz con Pollo, FF sour cream and guacamole.

This was super delicious and yet again my best recipes come from cleaning out the fridge and pantry.

Sorry for the hot mess photos...

Thanks for visiting!!

 

Sausage, Peppers & Onions by Coastalpines {Recipe Swap}

Sausage, Peppers & Onions

8 Hot Italian Sausages

8 Sweet Italian Sausages

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, Halved & Sliced

3 Large Green Peppers, Sliced

3 Large Red Peppers, Sliced

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 ½ Teaspoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (I use Trader Joe’s)

4 Leaves of Fresh Basil, Chiffonade-d

Grill Sausages to get a nice dark grill mark.  Once grilled and cooled, slice sausages into 1-inch pieces.  Set aside.

Note:   I always slice my spicy sausage on a slant, and the sweet gets a straight cut.  Although I cook them together, I will still let people know which is which when it is time to eat…especially the kids!

In your crockpot (set on LOW) mix olive oil, garlic and mustard. After about 10 minutes, add onions to sweat, stirring occasionally.

After about 20-30, add all of your peppers and basil and set crockpot to WARM. Stirring Occasionally.

After about 20-30 minutes, add all of your pre-grilled sausage.  Continue to cook on warm for 2-3-4 hours.

That’s it.  Serve on fresh Italian bread or rolls.

It’s so good, I have yet to get an after shot…it goes that fast {wink, wink}

This version is MARVELOUS!  S,P,O has been done hundreds of ways and as a Jersey Girl, a stone’s throw from a famous boardwalk version, I can honestly say…mine is better!  Come on’ people, it’s football season…TRY IT!!

Thanks for visiting!!

Zucchini 2~Ways {Recipe Swap}

Buffalo Wing Zucchini Sticks

Zucchini Boats

Fabulous Summer + Eventful Autumn (so far) = My being Absent! But I'm back with a couple of recipes and hope to catch up and be more...present.

Zucchini Boats

6 Medium Zucchini
2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Finely Shredded Cheddar
1/4 Cup Crispy Crushed Bacon
1 Small Onion, Minced
2 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley
S & P (to taste)

Wash zucchini and cut off ends; do not peel. Cook zucchini in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just tender. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; remove pulp with spoon; place zucchini shells in a large baking pan or jelly roll pan. Combine chopped zucchini pulp, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, parsley, salt & pepper.  Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese/crumbs (to taste) and bake at 350° for 20 minutes, Broil for a few if you like the tops extra crispy. 

Buffalo Wing Zucchini Sticks

{Recipe Courtesy of Fritos & Foie Gras.com}

I doubled this amazingly easy & awesome recipe on a Saturday.  I tripled it the next day.

1 Zucchini, Washed and cut into 3 fingers
1/4 cup of Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. of Hot Sauce (more or less for your taste)
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1.5 Cups of Panko Bread Crumbs

Combine Mayo, Hot Sauce & Spices in a bowl. Dunk Zucchini in the mayo mixture. Mush slathered Zucchini in Crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. The addition of the garlic & onion powder really pull this recipe together...No BS, it's awesome.  Serve with a nice blue cheese dressing and a cold beer.

If adorning a vegetable with bacon, fat & cheese will get my family to eat it, so be it.

Thanks for visiting ~ Traci

Repurposed {Semi} Wordless Wednesday

A {semi} homemade dinner...
(that was delicious by the way; pizza with green peppers and fresh basil) got me thinking...

about re-purposing some pretty red posies. They used to be in the wire pitcher (which I hate, it just annoys me) and shoved in a cabinet.

But how much more fun are they in a cheap can of tomato sauce?!

This lil' arrangement doesn't match my kitchen AT ALL, but I don't care it makes me happy.

Happy Wednesday All!

Linking up with the summer~lovin' Miss Daphne & her guest blogger Kerri :)

Rosemary~Chicken Kabobs {Recipe Swaps}

Rosemary~Chicken Kabobs I use rosemary so much, I just bought a tree :)
the marinade Fresh veggies

Thread em'

Rosemary ~ Chicken Kabobs
(From Southern Living April 2011)

Yes, I am doing another SL recipe…I will gladly relocate to come work in your test kitchens…just ask…

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1T fresh rosemary leaves(rough chopped)
1t salt
1t Dijon mustard
1lb chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pt cherry tomatoes
1 package of fresh mushrooms
Skewers

Preheat grill to 350* to 400* (medium high) heat. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour half of olive oil mixture into a shallow dish or zip top bag; add chicken, turning to coat. Cover or seal and let stand (At least 10 minutes, I soaked for 90 minutes)

Pour remaining olive oil mixture into another bowl or freezer bag; add tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers and toss to coat; cover or seal and let stand (again, I soaked them for 90 minutes).

Remove chicken and veggies from marinade (discarding the marinade). Thread chicken and veggies alternately onto skewers.

Grill kabobs, on a covered grill for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is done and veggies are tender, turning occasionally. Remove kabobs from grill and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Fresh & healthy warm weather meal! I served the kabobs with a macaroni salad this go-around and may serve with a fresh fruit salad in the future. This will be a staple for us this summer ~ Enjoy!