Salsa Chicken

Happy Tuesday, foodie friends! I am a little shocked that it’s almost Hump Day already, since it feels like the weekend just ended. I had the best weekend; I went to Madison with my sister, Mal, to visit our baby sister, Kaylee. Kaylee moved there in January, but because of my busy schedule, I haven’t had any time to visit yet. We drove up on Friday night, and decided to just stay in, which was so great! Kaylee cooked (more on that later!) and we watched lots of “Friends.” Saturday morning, we got up, walked Kaylee’s neighborhood, and spent the day in Madison. We started downtown, and took some pictures for Kaylee’s fashion blog before it started raining. Check out her blog here!

After the photo shoot, we went to the mall and had Potbelly’s for lunch. I haven’t had Potbelly’s in YEARS so I was super psyched. After that, we got gelato…and then Teavana. Go big, right?

Pizza Sandwich with hot peppers!

Youthberry and Wild Orange Blossom…my favorite!

Snickers gelato

Mint chocolate chip gelato

Enter food coma…which led to shopping. I’ve been trying to beef up my wardrobe, so it was well worth it. On the way home, we stopped at Trader Joe’s, Target, and Monty’s Blue Plate Diner for dinner. Despite my breakfast hate, I ordered the chilaquiles. I smell a breakfast blog post in the near future…

Sunday morning was spent being lazy, before heading back to the QC, where I promptly recreated Kaylee’s dinner from Friday night. This is, without a doubt, one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made, and it. is. so. good.

Salsa Chicken

What I’m Listening to: I was sitting on my couch, watching “Grey’s”…that’s how easy this recipe is.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings, 2 rolls each)

-2 or 3 medium chicken breasts

-1 16 oz. jar of salsa

-Red pepper flakes

-For serving, tortillas (we used flour, although corn would be a good gluten-free option), shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole

 

Wash the chicken, then place in the bottom of a crockpot. Pour the salsa over the chicken, then shake the red pepper flakes on top.

 

Cook for one hour on high. After the hour, flip the chicken, and cook for one more hour. When the chicken is done, you can strain out the excess salsa, but I left it in. With two forks, shred the chicken.

Serve on tortillas with the toppings of your choice.

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Creamy Tomato Mac and Cheese

So…there may or may not be a chipmunk in my house right now. Yes, you heard that right. A little, furry, Chip and Dale, Alvin and the Chipmunks, chipmunk. In. My. House. Last Sunday, I was going down to the basement to do some laundry when I saw a giant black blur followed by both of my kitties. I thought it was a rat so I did some very necessary panicking, got my sister Mallory’s attention, and (obviously) sent her downstairs first. Once she determined it wasn’t a rat, I found a giant plastic Rubbermaid container, and attempted to trap it. Yes, with a Rubbermaid container…what I was planning to do once it was trapped, I don’t know. Anyway, after several laps around my very small basement, being chased by two twenty-somethings, and two hungry cats, the chipmunk scaled one of the concrete walls, and disappeared into a crack. For all I know, it’s still in there. I sincerely hope it found it’s way out, but I’m still a little nervous that I’m going to wake up some morning with a chipmunk sharing my pillow. Ick.

Anyway…after a day of chipmunk chasing, what better way to unwind than with some delicious comfort food? I’ve always been partial to mac and cheese (Kraft) with hot dogs (for real), but I’ve started to branch out a bit recently. I’ve been searching for my perfect mac and cheese recipe, and this just may be it. I discovered the recipe two weeks ago, and have made it three times since then: the first time, following the original recipe, the second- scaling down the portion size and adding some flair of my own, and then a third time, just for the hell of it. This is literally the best of all worlds. Imagine: mac and cheese, tomato soup, and a grilled cheese sandwich coming together to make a baby. This would be it. A delicious, cheesy food baby.

Creamy Tomato Mac and Cheese

What I’m Listening to: Grey’s Anatomy, season 5

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

-1 cup of small shaped pasta (I used elbows)

-1/3 cup of low-fat ricotta

-3.5 oz of aged cheddar cheese, shredded

-1/2 can of tomato soup

-2/3 cup milk

-1 large clove (1/2 tsp) of garlic

-1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350. Boil a small pot of salted water, then add the pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes. The pasta should be starting to soften, but not cooked through. Drain the pasta and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, soup, milk, garlic, pepper, and 2/3 of the cheese. Mix well, then pour in a greased baking dish. I used an 8×8 glass pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and top with the remaining cheddar. Bake for 3-5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Let sit for 5 minutes, then enjoy!

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Spinach and Turkey Sliders

Has anyone else noticed that sick days are not nearly as exciting as an adult, like they were when you were a kid? I took a half day today, not because I was sick, but because my back was acting up again. Really acting up. Like fighting back tears, acting up. One of the things I always struggle with is when to take sick time (I could ALWAYS be sicker…right? Right.) but today was a good choice. I spent the entire afternoon laying flat on my back on the couch, since that was the only position I found comfortable, and, 5 hours later, things were better. Not pain free, but better. Also, I’m giddy at the thought of going to work tomorrow and not laying on my couch doing nothing. Giddy. So, there’s that.

Also, It’s officially grill season! Woohoo!!!I love me some food on the grill. I’m especially a fan of brat patties. (Cue my mouth watering…yup, there it goes!) Now, I’m no grilling expert, but I do try to grill every week during the summer. More often than not, it’s hot dogs or brats, but I like to shake things up every once in awhile. I found a few different turkey burgers online. I took the things I liked, put them together, and bam! Spinach and turkey sliders.

Spinach and Turkey Sliders

What I’m Listening to: a mix on my sister’s computer

Ingredients (makes 8 sliders, 2 per serving)

-20 oz. ground turkey

-A handful of baby spinach, stems removed

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-2/3 cup shredded mozzarella

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until just combined. Divide into 8 small patties, flattening each slightly. Place on a hot grill, cooking 7 minutes per side. After the 7 minutes on each side, turn every 2-3 minutes until the burger is cooked through. Serve with your favorite cookout sides, or try my Veggie Ranch Dip.

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BBQ Chicken and Feta Flatbread

Guys. I ate the most wonderful thing today. Whipped feta. Yes, that’s totally a thing. I had lunch today with one of my best friends, Bryan, at one of our favorite places, Cafe Fresh. It’s this adorable little place across the river. Anyway, I get the same thing every time we go, because, why mess up a good thing? I get a steak quesadilla wrap and red pepper gouda soup. Sometimes, we get pita and hummus to share. Today, Bryan suggested the whipped feta. It’s….whipped feta, served with garlic toast. Oh. My. Gosh. I wish I had taken a picture so I could show you all. It was beautiful and delicious and my mouth is filling with saliva as we speak. YUM. It seems I’ve been on a feta kick this week. I was exhausted when I got home on Thursday and threw together this BBQ chicken and feta flatbread with ingredients I had on hand. The flatbread itself was actually an accident. I had gone to the store for pita bread and they were out, so I grabbed the flatbread instead. It was a good accident. I hope you love this.

BBQ Chicken and Feta Flatbread

What I’m Listening to: “The Monster” by Eminem…on repeat. Love that song.

Ingredients (Makes 1 flatbread)

-1 flatbread pizza crust (I bought the Flatout brand)

-1 medium chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

-Garlic and onion powder, for seasoning

-1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s) plus extra for drizzling

-2 tbsp chopped red onion

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese

-1/2 cup feta

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your flatbread crust in the center. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Look how thin this is!

While the flatbread bakes, place the diced chicken in a small skillet. Season both sides with garlic and onion powder, then cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.

Transfer the chicken into a saucepan with the barbecue sauce, red onion, and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Cook until heated through.

Spread the chicken mixture over the flatbread.

Sprinkle the colby jack cheese over the top, then top with the feta. Drizzle with barbecue sauce. Mmmmm.

 

Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the feta starts to soften. Let the flatbread cool for 2 minutes. Slice and serve!

 

Let me know what you think! I’d love to hear from you!

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Buffalo Chicken Chili

Hi everyone! I’m back! I’m sorry for my unannounced hiatus…last week was dance recital week, meaning I slept very little and ate a lot…of fast food. I had Panera twice in one day…I regret nothing. Anyway, I didn’t have any time at all to cook, but I more than made up for it this weekend.

This is one of my all-time favorite foods. If you’re going to make any of my recipes, make this one. You won’t regret it! I spent years searching for a good chili recipe with no luck. Too many tomatoes, not enough flavor…anyway, I stumbled across this a few years ago, and knew immediately it would be perfect. I’m obsessed with all things buffalo…obsessed. Also, as far as chili goes, it’s pretty healthy! I’ve played with this recipe the last two years, and now it’s one of my most requested dishes. I hope you’ll love this as much as I do. Because I do. So. Much.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

What I’m Listening to: the “Frozen” soundtrack

Ingredients (makes 2 heaping bowls, or 3 medium bowls)

-Cooking oil of your choice (I used vegetable oil)

-1/2 yellow onion, diced

-3 cloves of garlic

-3-4 medium carrots (or 1/3 bag of baby supremes…I had them on hand)

-1 can of cannellini beans, drained

-1 lb. ground chicken

-1/2 tbsp cumin

-1 tbsp paprika

-1 cup chicken broth

-1 cup buffalo sauce

-Crackers and cheddar cheese for serving

Pour about a quarter-sized amount of oil into a large skillet and swirl to coat. Heat the skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots.

Stir constantly so that the veggies don’t burn. Once the carrots begin to soften, add the can of beans and continue stirring.

While the veggies cook, place the ground chicken in a separate pan and break apart with a spatula. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the cumin, paprika, and chicken broth. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add the chicken mixture to the vegetables and stir. Add the buffalo sauce and mix well. Bring the chili to a boil and stir. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I try to stir every 8-9 minutes.) Serve with crackers and cheddar cheese. I’ve never tried it with blue cheese, but I’m sure it would be excellent.

Note: If you’d like your chili to have more “sauce,” you can add more broth and buffalo sauce; just keep the ratio 1:1. Enjoy!

Adapted from: Blog is the New Black

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