Fresh Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomato, and Basil Pizza

{recipe via}

Ingredients

• 12 ounces refrigerated fresh pizza dough
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves 
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 
• 2 (6-ounce) heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Hands On: 22 Minutes 
Total: 55 Minutes 

1. 1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).
2. 2. Let dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. 3. Place basil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil in a mini food processor; pulse 3 times to form a paste. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; pulse until smooth.
4. 4. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a floured surface; pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven. Arrange dough on pizza stone. Spread about 2 1/2 tablespoons basil mixture over dough. Top evenly with cheese, tomatoes, and pepper. Bake at 500° for 12 minutes or until crust is browned and crisp. Top with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons basil mixture; sprinkle evenly with salt. Cut into 12 slices.

Honey-Lime Chicken Kebabs with Mango Slices

{recipe via}

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes 
• 2 teaspoons grated lime rind 
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 sliced peeled mangoes 
• Chili powder (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Combine first 5 ingredients; toss to coat. Thread chicken onto 8 (6-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 4 minutes on each side or until done.
3. 3. Combine juice and honey in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Arrange kebabs and mango slices on a platter; drizzle with honey mixture, and sprinkle with chili powder, if desired.

Pork Chops With Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I'm not a huge pork chop fan, but oh my this was good!!

{recipe via}

Ingredients

• 1 pound small fingerling potatoes

• 2 cloves garlic

• Kosher salt

• 4 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (5 ounces each)

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

• 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 3/4 cup apple cider

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Put the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with cold water and season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and continue cooking until tender, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add 1 teaspoon olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.

Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan; add the buttermilk and mash, adding cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops, onion and apples. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Spicy mango chicken stuffed sweet potatoes

This is another recipe I got from @busygirlseatclean. Follow them on Instagram!

•2 chicken breast
•1 mango
•1 red bell pepper
•1/8 cup sliced pepperoncinis
•2 sweet potatoes

• Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 45 minutes. More or less, depending on their size.
• Season chicken with Mrs. Dash chipotle and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until done. (I didn't have the Mrs. Dash seasoning so I looked up the ingredients and used what spices I did have that are in the chipotle mix. I mixed them all together in a bowl with some lemon juice, then rubbed it on the chicken)
• Dice mango and bell pepper
• Sautée mango, bell pepper and pepperoncinis for 5-8 minutes
• Dice chicken and add to pepper/mango mix
• Slice sweet potato down the middle and stuff with chicken/pepper/mango mixture!

Artichoke and spinach stuffed tilapia

I've been trying to find "cleaner" things to help me get rid of the rest of this baby weight. The first 20 pounds just melted off, but that was it. I just stopped loosing. It has motivated me to try to eat a little healthier and hit the gym too! Time to get it shape! Anyway, this was really good and easy! I got the recipe idea from @busygirlseatclean on Instagram, but changed it up to this.

•4 tilapia loins
•1 cup spinach, chopped
•3 artichoke hearts, chopped (just as much as you want)
•1 tsp minced garlic
•2 wedges of laughing cow Swiss cheese
•Handful of shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend, any cheese would work)
•Italian seasoning
•Garlic powder
•1/4 cup panko bread crumbs + more to sprinkle on top

•Preheat oven to 400•
•Slice fish length wise to make a sort of pocket.
•Mix all the other ingredients together and stuff inside the fish.
•Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil, and sprayed with Pam.
•Coat the outside of the fish with more bread crumbs, then drizzle with olive oil.
•Bake for 25 minutes.

Sticky Mango Chicken Skewers with Black Bean and Pineapple Brown Rice

We had this last night, and I about made myself sick because I ate so much! SO yummy.

Original recipe found here

Ingredients:
For the Sticky Mango marinade:
1 very ripe mango, peeled and cut from the pit
1/2 jalapeno (seeds removed)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, sliced very thin

For the Pineapple Brown Rice:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced (I left this out)
1/3 cup scallions, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients until smooth. Spread over the thinly sliced chicken, then cover the chicken and refrigerate for 1-8 hours. When ready to cook, thread the chicken onto skewers, then grill or bake in an oven preheated to 500 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over pineapple rice.

For the Pineapple Brown Rice:
Stir the rice, black beans, pineapple, and red bell pepper together in a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove and stir in scallions and garlic salt. Serve with Sticky Mango skewers. 

*The recipe says sticky, but our chicken was not sticky. Maybe because we cooked ours on the grill. Still super yummy, but if you're expecting sticky, maybe try cooking it in the oven.

Pepperoni-Mozzarella Calzone

Okay, this was REALLY yummy. I could eat it again tonight.

Original recipe can be found here

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I just used dried, and about half that much)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 pound shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
1/4 pound deli-sliced salami, cut into thin strips (I used pepperoni and bacon, crumbled)
1 1/2 cups giardiniera (pickled mixed vegetables), drained (left these out)
1/4 pound sliced provolone cheese
Directions
Place a baking sheet upside down in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Beat the eggs, parsley and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour half of the egg mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the mozzarella. Reserve the remaining egg mixture for brushing on the crust.

Turn another baking sheet upside down; line with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Unroll the dough on the parchment paper and pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread the mozzarella mixture over one half of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge. Top with the salami, followed by the pickled vegetables and provolone. Fold the other half of the dough over to cover the filling. Crimp and roll the edges to seal, then pierce the top of the dough in a few places with a knife.

Slide the calzone with the parchment paper onto the hot baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining egg mixture, then continue to bake until the crust is golden, 5 to 10 more minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.

We dipped ours in marinara sauce, and it was super yummy!

Chicken Salad Sandwhiches

This one isn't really new to us, but I don't think I have made it since we've been married. This recipe calls for greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, but it was too yogurt-y for me. To make it a little more familiar I added about a tablespoon of mayo and it did the trick.

Original recipe found here

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breast (chopped, diced, or shredded)

• 1/2 cup diced red onion (I used a few scallions instead)

• 1/2 cup diced apple

• 2/3 cup grapes, halved

• 1/3 cup NatureBox Dried Cranberries or Zingy Currants (left these out)

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (left these out)

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (+ about a tbsp of mayonnaise)

• 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Ciabatta bread, toasted, for serving (We used croissants, way better!)

Directions:1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, red onion, apple, grapes, dried cranberries or currants, sliced almonds, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Serve sandwiches on ciabatta bread with chicken salad mixture.

fish tacos with chipotle cream

I've been trying out some new recipes lately, and I've been so lucky! the past 4 nights I've made something new to us, and they have all turned out great, are super easy, and don't make the house too hot (it's already been in the 90's here, so cooking can be miserable in a hot kitchen!)! I'll start with these fish tacos.

The original recipe can be found here on Food Networks website

Fish:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia or halibut

Chipotle cream:

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt (I used greek yogurt)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage or lettuce

1/2 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes. Put the yogurt into a strainer lined with apaper towel and place over a bowl to drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the thickened yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle pepper.

Heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

donut brownies

i was craving chocolate so bad last night, so i whipped up some brownies real quick. they were so easy and SO yummy. i literally cannot stop eating them.

this is the "best brownies" recipe from Hershey's

1/2 cup butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

heat oven to 350, and grease desired pan. (i used 7''x11'' glass dish)
stir together the butter, sugar and vanilla. add eggs and beat well with a spoon. add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. stir until well blended, and spread evenly into pan.

bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

*this is my own addition, i didn't feel like making the frosting that goes along with these, so i did this instead*

chocolate glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

stir all ingredients together with a fork until well blended.

when the brownies are done, poke them with a fork a few times

pour the glaze over the hot brownies and tilt pan until the glaze is all even. i poured out the extra glaze so it wouldn't puddle in the middle.

DONE!

these are seriously so yummy and gooey and delicious. they would go great with a bowl of ice cream, but are just as good all by themselves. they remind me of a chocolate cake donut!

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

I found this recipe here, but I made a few changes. We had it for dinner, and cold for lunch. Millie even loved it!

Sesame Noodles with Peanut Sauce

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (sriracha sauce)
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Hot water
2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon salt
12 ounces dried whole wheat spaghetti noodles (any kind really, I used thin spaghetti noodles)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions (green onions), sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, grated
In blender or food processor, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon (for a total of about 5 tablespoons, give or take) at time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream, slightly thickened but purable. Set blender jar or workbowl aside.

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to 6 inches from broiler element; heat broiler. Spray broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet lined with foil with cooking spray; place chicken breasts on top and broil chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to broil until thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add salt and noodles to boiling water; boil noodles until tender, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain then toss noodles with sesame oil until evenly coated. Add shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls and serve immediately.

*the original recipe called for sesame seeds, but I couldn't find any, so I left them out. I didn't think the dish was missing anything, but it might add something extra if you want to use them!

mexican crepes

well thats what i keep calling them anyway...

first cook a tortilla in some butter

sprinkle with sugar

and a little cinnamon

add some sliced strawberries

roll it up

and enjoy!

we use the Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas (find them at costco) but you could probably used a cooked one too, it would just have to get warm instead of cook! i bet all sorts of fresh fruit would be good in this... just use whatever you have in the fridge!

peace-ful

this picture was taken when Millie was 2 days old. when i look at this picture, i feel like i am right back there in that hospital bed. it truly was peace that i felt laying there, looking at my brand new, perfect little baby girl.

Peace.

Washington DC temple. 

-Cass

peace

Colt's final resting place.

peace

the second peak from the left is mount Owen. I thought it was appropriate :)

Spinach Quiche

I made this for my friend's baby shower this morning, and it turned out great! I was a little skeptical because I had never used feta in a quiche before, or spinach even, but it was SO yummy! I had to hurry and grab the last piece before it all got eaten up! I used Martha Stewart's recipe, but made some changes.

Makes 2 quiches

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter (I used olive oil)
• 3 shallots, minced (I used 1 yellow onion)
• 3 bunches flat-leaf spinach, thick stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 2 cups) (My grocery store didn't have gruyere, so I used crumbled feta)
• 1 recipe Basic Pie Dough, fitted into two 9-inch pie plates ( I was lazy and used the frozen ones!)
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (Didn't have this, still turned out great)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium. Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add as much spinach to skillet as will fit; season with salt and pepper, and toss, adding more spinach as room becomes available, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Transfer spinach mixture to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Divide spinach mixture and cheese between prepared crusts. Place each crust on a separate rimmed baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Dividing evenly, pour egg mixture into crusts.
4. Arrange baking sheets on racks, and bake until center of each quiche is just set, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Let quiches stand 15 minutes before serving.

Cookie Dough Pops

I wanted to eat cookie dough today and not cookies, so I found this recipe. Perfect. In the end I felt just as sick as I thought I would be. Gross. Never again. In case anybody else wants to never eat cookie dough again make these. They are so good, you will eat way to many - making yourself sick, and never wanting cookie dough again. Problem solved, or something like that.

- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini would have worked better, but who has those hanging around)
- Melting chocolate. I used the kind from Michaels.
- Lollipop sticks

1. In a medium bowl combine the flour, and salt.

2. In a second larger bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy.

3. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Roll the mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet lined with wax paper (Should make approximately 20).

5. Put the sticks in the dough. To make sure the lollipop stick stays in place, I melt a handful of chocolate chips and dip the stick in them then press it into the cookie dough.

6.  Chill for several hours or freeze for 15-20 minutes until firm

7. Melt chocolate and dip! I dipped just once and the dribbled some melted butterscotch chips on top.

I am really embarrassed of my after picture, for one they look horrible. Two, I grabbed the camera and snapped  in  a rush, hoping I got a picture and this is the best I got. Opps.

Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders

I have made these a couple times now and I am already craving them. I made them the first time for my hubby, his dad and brother and they were a HUGE hit. They pretty much licked the pan clean. They have an awesome taste and for a "man" meal my mother in law and I really enjoyed them too.

I took this directly from the Pioneer Womens website, and you should really go take a look because she has really great pictures. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/spicy-whiskey-bbq-sliders/

Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders:

IngredientsPreparation Instructions

• 2 pounds Ground Meat (beef, Bison, Turkey)
• Salt And Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1/2 cup Whiskey
• 1 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Slices (more To Taste)
• 12 whole Slider Buns Or Dinner Rolls, Split

Form the meat into 12 (or so) miniature patties and salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties until just about done in the middle, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the skillet and set aside. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of grease, then return the skillet to the stove.

Throw the diced onions in the skillet and stir to cook, about 3 minutes. Pour in whiskey (be careful if you're cooking over an open flame; turn it off momentarily to be extra careful) and stir. Allow the whiskey to reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in jalapenos and the barbecue sauce.

Reduce the heat to low and place the patties in the barbecue sauce, turning to coat. Allow the patties to simmer in the sauce until everything's hot and bubbly.

Place the patties on individual buns and be sure to spoon extra sauce (with the jalapenos!) over the top of each one before topping with the other half of the bun.

** Ok and it does say spicy, but for my kids I just took the jalapenos off and it was just fine for them. Plus the whiskey made them sleep like champs that night. hahaha just kiddin

puffed pancake

(image via)

I've been seeing these around pinterest and blogs lately and so i decided to try it! and I am SO glad I did! It is so yummy, and SO easy!

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

-preheat oven to 425 degrees
-put butter in pie pan and stick it in the oven to melt the butter and heat the pan*
-whisk together the rest of the ingredients and pour into the hot pan
-cook for about 10 minutes, until it is firm and puffed around the edges

serve right away with fruit and powdered sugar or maple syrup!

you can also add the fruit in before you bake the pancake if thats what you like (and I do). I put some fresh blueberries in, and it was delicious! However, the pancake will not puff as dramatically if you put the fruit in before cooking.

*before pouring the batter in the pan, coat the bottom and sides with the melted butter so the pancake doesn't stick!