Brunch is arguably the best meal of week… wait, no, the best meal of the day! But if you’re having brunch every day, you are doing life right. This festive brunch dish will fill your kitchen with delicious scents of spices and pumpkin while it’s baking. No need to light your favorite seasonal candle. This dish is perfect for when you have to feed a crowd and want to get some of the preparation out of the way the night before.
Ingredients:
6 whole-wheat English muffins, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 firm apples, I used Honey Crisp
3/4 cup raisins, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups low-fat or almond milk
1 15 oz can unseasoned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray
Place English muffins pieces on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted.
Combine apples, raisins and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the English muffin pieces and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, spreading into a single layer.
Whisk eggs, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, ginger and cloves in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour over bread mixture until all ingredients are submerged. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
Bake casserole at 350 degrees until browned and a little crispy around the edges – 50 minutes to 1 hour.
This cheesy skillet rice dish doesn’t require hours standing over the stove, constantly stirring, the way traditional Italian recipes do, but the result is just as rich, satisfying but most of all – delicious. Adding tender chunks of white meat chicken and asparagus make it a balanced meal that’s ready in under one hour and only uses a single pan, so you won’t waste time on cleanup. Mushroom and roasted garlic flavors enhance the savory Parmesan cream sauce that coats every grain of rice in this Simple Creamy Chicken Risotto, and a sprinkling of fresh basil on top makes the meal really pop.
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 can Condensed Cream of Mushroom
2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup asparagus
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat half the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned and done. Remove the chicken from the skillet, cover and keep warm.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining butter and heat until melted. Add the rice and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the rice is lightly browned.
Stir in the soup and broth and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
Return the chicken to the skillet. Stir in the asparagus, 2 tablespoons basil and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is hot, stirring often. Season to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining basil and cheese before serving.
This is a great meal for a Halloween party or get-together. It’s spooky, funny, and delicious at the same time. Made with melty Monterey Jack Cheese and spicy enchilada sauce, it’s definitely addictive.
Grab your chips and get to dippin’!
Ingredients:
2 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup enchilada sauce
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 oz can green chiles
1 tbsp taco seasoning
4 flour tortillas
Tortilla chips, for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine pepper jack, enchilada sauce, rotisserie chicken, cream cheese, green chilis, and taco seasoning.
Transfer dip to a cast-iron skillet and bake until warmed through and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make tortilla graves: Cut tortillas into grave shapes and place on a baking sheet. Bake until sturdy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Top dip with shredded lettuce and insert graves. Serve with tortilla chips.
The flavors in this dreamboat Thai chicken salad are going to rock your face off.
Lime, peanuts, cilantro, green onions, vinegar, chicken, soy sauce, chili pepper, garlic, all packed together in a highly textured salad bowl? Yummy!!
Simple to assemble – this chopped Thai chicken salad has BIG flavors – peanut, lime, soy, chili, cilantro. Topped with a homemade peanut dressing! Healthy and fresh.
Ingredients:
Thai Chicken Salad
3–4 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 head of greenand purple cabbage, chopped
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, crushed
1/2 cup wonton strips
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
salt and lime juice to taste
Peanut Dressing
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil (toasted or dark)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chili paste (sriracha works, too)
2 tablespoons sugar
a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled
a clove of fresh garlic, peeled
1/4 cup water to thin to desired consistency
Directions:
Chop: Put on some good music, pour a drink, and start choppin’!
Dressing: Pulse all ingredients in the food processor or blender. Adjust consistency with water (if desired).
Thai Chicken Salad Assembly: Toss the salad ingredients in a big bowl with a drizzle of peanut dressing so everything gets coated. Season with salt and lime juice. Serve chilled.
Start the day off in a fun way with this bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast skillet. In this dish, the tots substitute nicely for hash browns and jazz up a breakfast skillet into a treat the entire family will love on Sunday morning.
The tater tots are a nice surprise in this dish. Using frozen tots makes this a simple dish to make during a crazy morning or a slow and lazy one. It’s quick and simple but so delicious!
And once again my friends, YOU NAILED BRUNCH! Now if only the weekend could be another day longer or you could nail folding a fitted sheet…….
Ingredients:
12 oz. bacon, chopped
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 lb. Frozen Tater Tots
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chives, chopped
8 large eggs
pinch of salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain half the fat.
To skillet add frozen tater tots, cooked bacon, tomatoes, cheddar, garlic, and chives and toss until combined.
Baked together for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and add eggs to the top of the tater tot mixture and cook until eggs are cooked through, another 15 minutes.
**you can easily split this recipe in half and make less or simply double it and make more**
Keeping this post quick today because what’s there to show you, really? You shake up 5 ingredients in a jar. That’s basically the recipe.
You will have no problem finding ways to eat this pork, but I recommend it in a fusion burrito with standard rice and bean combo as seen here. But you can use kimchi and rice for a breakfast bowl, with noodles and stir-fried veggies.
5 Ingredient Spicy Pork! A fancy-feeling dinner recipe that actually comes together in snap. Serve it in bowls, stir-fry it with some veggies, or add it to burritos!
Ingredients:
5 Ingredient Sauce:
2 tbsp hot chili paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Other Stuff:
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, very thinly sliced
vegetable oil
Directions:
Shake all the sauce ingredients in a jar. Pour the sauce over the pork and allow it to rest for 20 minutes – 1 hour.
Heat a good searing skillet (such as cast iron) over high heat. Add just a little bit of vegetable oil.
When the oil is hot and shiny, add the pork in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Cook, undisturbed, for 1-2 minutes until you are getting that nice caramelized look. Flip and repeat to finish.
Chicken noodle soup is one of the fondest memories I have of my childhood. Classic, comforting, a cure-all for whatever ailed me, and I could taste all the love in it.
However, the version I remember from my childhood took hours and hours. Sometimes I don’t have time to watch a boiling pot for half the day and all the stirring……But this version is super easy, ready in 30-minutes, and has all the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup.
To save time, I used store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand. Of course you can roast or pan sauté chicken if you’re so inclined.
There are quite a few herbs used including thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley. You can certainly use dried herbs, if you don’t have fresh on hand.
Egg noodles can be substituted and you can use whatever noodles are your favorite.
This soup is so classic and the flavors are so ‘homey’. I love that it is ready in a flash and makes enough to stash half in the freezer for a rainy day or for cold and flu season.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 cup celery, sliced thin
1 cup yellow onion, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
64 oz (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if desired
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
12 oz wide egg noodles (or your favorite noodles or pasta)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time)
To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Note – If you like brothier soup, add additional broth, possibly as much as an additional 64 ounces because as time passes the noodles will continue to absorb broth.
Add the egg noodles and boil mixture for about 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft and cooked through. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay. At the end you will adjust the salt level.
Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice (brightens up the flavor), and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Taste soup and add salt to taste. I added about 1 tablespoon but this will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, herbs, etc.), remove the bay leaves, and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
So you love brunch, too? And you stand in support of cheddar cheese baked into creamy eggs topped with crispy golden toasted bread and salty crispy bacon. All you do is WIN!! Eggs, cheese, bacon and toasted crispy bread.
The BEST Brunch Bake! Cheese, bacon, baked into creamy eggs and topped with a crispy golden toasted bread topping. YUM. OH and don’t forget their friends; beautiful summer fruit and delicious homemade Blueberry Muffins made from those blueberries you just picked up from the farmer’s market.
First up – the Delicious Brunch Bake!!
Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread (your favorite), cubed
16 oz shredded cheddar cheese, divided
10 eggs
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
2 cup milk (your favorite)
1/4 cup butter
dash of black pepper
Meat, optional; bacon, ham, sausage
Directions:
Spray 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray
Place 1/2 of the cubed bread in pan. Cover with 8 oz. of cheese. Top with remaining cubed bread. Cover with remaining 8 oz. of cheese. (Mix in meat, if desired)
In a bowl, combine eggs, garlic, onion salt and milk. Mix well. Pour over cheese and egg mixture
Melt butter. Pour over bread and cheese mixture
Dust top of casserole with black pepper
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until top becomes brown and crispy
Make Ahead: Yes, you can make this ahead of time! I like to do steps 1 and 2 the night before, and then everything else day-of. The only part I would not recommend doing ahead of time is letting the croissant pieces soak in the egg mixture overnight.
Now onto the Homemade Blueberry Muffins!!
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1 mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 tsp stevia in the raw
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a large bowl, mix together banana, milk, vanilla, maple syrup, butter, stevia, baking soda and baking powder
Mix in flour until combined. Don’t over mix!! Fold in blueberries gently. Pour the batter into 12 lined muffin cups
Bake for 20-25 minutes
Enjoy – see you in the Kitchen!
I use this tool every time I slice fresh fruit. Super Easy!!
Sheet Pan Chicken Pitas that are salty-briney-crunchy in all the right ways! Marinated chicken, roasted peppers, feta cheese with an easy homemade tzatziki sauce. Other optional toppings that would be tasty, simply add fresh cucumber and kalamata olives.
It’s comforting, light, creamy and of course filling. But mostly crunchy and fresh.
Pile that on a plate and grab a fork – or grab a piece of warm, soft naan, or pita, or socca (YUM), and get to eating. You’ve got the crunch of the peppers, and the cool-creaminess of the cheese and the puckery-briney of the sauce all happening in one big joyful bite.
Ingredients:
Chicken:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into very thin strips
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
1–2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon each of cumin, smoked paprika, and kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
black pepper to taste
Peppers:
2–3 bell peppers, sliced
olive oil and salt
Tzatziki:
3/4 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated cucumber (about one half of a large cucumber)
1–2 tablespoons lemon juice
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pepper to taste
Other optional:
diced cucumbers
diced red onion
kalamata olives
feta cheese
some kind of flatbread (pita, naan, socca)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix chicken ingredients in a bowl. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Mix all tzatziki ingredients.
On a sheet pan, toss the peppers with olive oil and salt. On a second sheet pan, place the chicken pieces. Roast both for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked and peppers are browned.
Serve chicken, peppers, sauce, and all the other fixings on a big platter and everyone can build their own pitas / bowls / salads.
This Guacamole Salsa recipe combines salsa verde and guacamole to create an addicting appetizer and salsa for tacos! Made from tomatillos, jalapenos, avocados, cilantro and lime juice.
If salsa verde and guacamole had a baby, you’d get this Guacamole Salsa. It’s the best of both worlds! The tangy and zesty flavor from the tomatillos and the smooth and creamy texture from the avocados – there’s seriously nothing better.
Ingredients:
8 tomatillos, husked and washed
2 jalapeños, seeded and deveined
2 avocados, pitted
1/2 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 a large lime)
salt, to taste
Directions:
Fill medium pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in tomatillos and jalapenos. Cook for 10 minutes, until tomatillos and jalapenos have softened.
Drain water and place tomatillos and jalapenos in a large blender. Add avocados, cilantro, garlic, onions and lime juice. Blend until smooth.
Taste and season with salt.
Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container to chill in the refrigerator.
Newlywed In the Kitchen 