Poulet Dijonnaise

This is a fantastic recipe my mom has been making for years and I have always enjoyed it.  I love the richness of the flavour and how easy it is to prepare. It is wonderful because you can make full size portions or appetizer size portions.  This is a great one to make in advance to freeze in whatever portion size you need.  If you are going to freeze them, wrap them individually and freeze them before baking them in the phyllo dough. When you take it out of the freezer, reheat frozen at 425 for 25 minutes.
The recipe below is how to make it in an oven but I have also done this in a crockpot by putting the chicken, dijon, whipping cream, salt and pepper in.  I cooked it on high for about 4 hours and then pulled the chicken breasts apart with forks.

Poulet Dijonnaise

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts1/4 cup Dijon mustardpan juices from cooked chicken2 cups whipping cream salt and white pepper16 sheets of phyllo dough, defrosted1 cup butter1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Season chicken breasts. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes (or until just cooked).  
2. Remove meat, cool, skin and cut into small pieces. 
3. Remove excess fat from pan juices, add mustard and deglaze over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. 
4. Gradually stir in light cream, salt and pepper. 
5. Lower heat and cook slowly until the liquid is reduce by one-quarter. 
6. Add chicken to sauce. Set aside and cool.  (I take out the phyllo pastry at this point)

Rectangular Single Servings

Butter one layer of phyllo, top with a second layer. Butter second layer. and sprinkle with a few bread crumbs. Place one-eighth of filling in rectangle about two inches from the narrow end of phyllo closest to you.  Fold two-inch end over the chicken filling. Smooth right and left-end edges down. Then fold left and right sides up to centre of the rectangle of filling. Butter the new unbuttered sides you have exposed. Sprinkle the same with bread crumbs.  Then finish rolling the individual serving up ensuring that the last edge is placed face down on the cooking sheet. Brush with butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes.  

Triangles

Butter one sheet of phyllo and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Envision vertical lines at the 1/3 and 2/3 marks of a vertical sheet of phyllo.  Fold left third over the centre third, then fold the right third, over the centre. Place a spoon full of filling into the bottom corner of the new three-layer piece of phyllo.  Fold diagonally, triangle over triangle, as if folding a flag. Place seam side down (Cut off any extra left after the last fold)

Sugar Cookies

Decorating sugar cookies has always been one of the exciting Christmas time activities for me. I remember growing up having so much fun making them every year.  It is a good thing I enjoy making them because my family eats them very quickly.  I remember one year, I made a double batch of sugar cookies and they only lasted a day. Even though we are adults now, my siblings still seem to expect for me to make them some sugar cookies each year. This year I am in charge of bringing dessert for Christmas dinner and as I was telling my sister what I was planning on making, she interrupted me sentence to make sure I was going to be bringing sugar cookies. I really like this recipe, the cookies always turn out so nicely.  I usually make a triple batch and the measurements seem to lend themselves to a triple batch easily. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. 
2.  Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. 
3. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla until combined. 
4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with a mixer and then stir in the rest by hand. 
5. Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes or until it is easy to work with. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough so it is about 1/8 of an inch thick and cut into desired shapes. 
6. Bake at 375 for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and the bottoms are very lightly browned.

Turkey Tetrazzini

We love turkey season in our house because we are able to get several meals out of one bird.  We will often purposely make a bird much larger than we need to feed everyone just so we have lots of leftovers for various leftover turkey recipes.
I think this is one of my favourite recipes to use up the extra meat.  I will sometimes make this a gluten free recipe by using cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce, leave out the bread crumbs and use spaghetti squash in lieu of the noodles.  Regardless of what I use, this casserole gets eaten up quickly without complaints.

Turkey Tetrazzini

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 ribs of celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced mushrooms

pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup flour

4 cups broth

1 cup parmesan cheese, divided

4 oz cream cheese

8 oz pasta of your choice (cooked)

2 cups diced turkey meat

1/2 bread crumbs

1. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms until they are tender.
2. Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are coated.  
3. Add the wine and stir until the flour has been absorbed
4. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce heat.  Frequently stir the mixture while it simmers for five minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and add the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese, stirring until they melt.
7. Add the peas, pasta and turkey.  Make sure you combine the new additions well.
8. Transfer the mixture to a oiled casserole dish.
9. Combine the remaining parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.
10. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know I have found a good recipe when it disappears quickly and everybody asks me for the recipe.  This is one of those recipes and a couple of people have reminded me they would like the recipe so I better post it.
These cookies are soft, lovely and moist.  I love the spice combination in them, I always add extra spice to cookies.  Please note that this recipe has the increased spice values in it so if you want a more subtle spice to the cookies I suggest you reduce the amount of spices you use. These cookies freeze well, but the trick is keeping them in there.  I hope you enjoy this twist on chocolate chip cookies.
*Note these cookies are chilled for 3 hours before they are baked so don't start by preheating the oven.

Pumpkin Chocolat Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar, plus 1/3 cup for coating

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tbsp molasses

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus 3/4 tsp for coating

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar.  
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla until they are light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the pumpkin and molasses.
4. Combine the remaining dry ingredients (sans the cinnamon and sugar needed for the coating) in a separate bowl.  I suggest giving this a smell to see if you want to alter the spices.
5. Gradually start adding the mixture to the wet and make sure it incorporates completely.  
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Form the dough into balls about the size of two table spoons and place them on a plate.  I suggest having some wax paper between the layers on the plate.  Chill for 3 hours,
8. Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
9. Combine the remaining cinnamon and sugar.  Roll the dough in the coating before placing them on the cookie sheets and lightly press them down with a fork.  Make sure there is good spacing between the cookies.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges and tops have started to set.  The cookies firm up as they cool.

Apple Cheddar Biscuits

I like to have some bread or a biscuit to enjoy soup with, especially when the soup is so tasty I want to mop up every last drop of it to be sure that none is wasted.  I don't have time to make a nice french loaf very often and getting all of us out of the house to go pick up a loaf from the local baker is sometimes a little daunting.  Especially on rainy days when every one is tired.
I have had a bunch of old magazines with recipes I have wanted to try piling up in my house over the years.  Recently I have decided to look through them and tear out the recipes I think I will actually try and then recycle the rest.  After I try the recipe, if I like it I will post it so I don't have to keep the loose recipe around and I know I will always be able to find it when I want it.  The other day I found this wonderful biscuit recipe in Canadian Living.  It is a perfect biscuit to enjoy with fall soups.  They were a hit in our house and one of my little ones kept sliding a chair to the counter so she could help herself to them.  The batch didn't even last 24 hours.  I am sure I will be making these again soon.

 Apple Cheddar Biscuits

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cold butter cubed

1 cup shredded extra-old Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated, cored and peeled baking apple

2 tbsp minced chives or green onions

3/4 cup milk

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
2. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse oatmeal with a few large pieces.
3. Stir in the cheddar, apple and chives.
4. Using a fork, stir in the milk to form a ragged dough.
5. Drop into roughly 1/3 cup mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

I know it has been a while my friends but life has been very busy with two little ones and lots more.  I have tried lots of recipes and I need to get better at posting my favourites.  Our garden was wonderful this year and I have been trying lots of new ways to use up the various squash and pumpkins we grew this year.  I have also found my new favourite type of pumpkin.  It's colour is amazing, I love it's shape, I love how easy it is to prepare for baking and most importantly it has a wonderful flavour!  For those of you who garden as well I got the seeds from Renee's Garden and they are called Cinderella's Carriage Antique French Pumpkins.

I had some leftover pumpkin puree from making some other delicious pumpkin recipes (I will try to post them soon) and needed to make dinner so I decided on a curried pumpkin soup I came across a while back.  This soup turned out amazing.  Everybody loved it. My husband even said he was sorry he didn't have to take lunch in to work tomorrow because he loves it when his coworkers comment on how wonderful his lunches smell when he heats them up in the office kitchen.

 Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 can coconut milk

1. In a heavy bottomed stock pan, melt the butter and sauté the onions until they begin to brown.  
2. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
3. Add the stock, salt and spices and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow this to simmer covered for 20 minutes to deepen the flavour of the broth.
4. Add the pumpkin and coconut milk and blend using an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.
5. Allow the soup to reach desired temperate before serving.

This soup goes well with a biscuit to help clean the bowl with.  I found a great Apple Cheddar biscuit recipe I made along with it.

Zucchini and Basil Frittata

When I have a rare spare moment to myself these days, I go to my cookbook library and flip through one of my cookbooks to try and find some inspiration for future meals.  The other day I picked up one that was given to my husband and I as an engagement gift.  I have tried a few recipes out of it but none recently.  As I was flipping though, I was only a few pages into the book when I found a zucchini recipe.  It is the perfect time of year to stumble across zucchini recipes (Right now I am harvesting between 4-8 from the garden a week!)  Not only did this recipe look tasty, but I had everything I needed for it on hand.  I actually made this recipe twice this week.  It is a great base recipe to use and it is one that is easy to change the basil for another herb or add different vegetables.
The recipe called for two medium zucchinis BUT this does not mean two medium zucchinis from your garden, it means a small one from your garden or two from the grocery store.  To try and save you from preparing too much zucchini and only realizing it afterwards, like I did, I have decided to give you an approximate measurement of how much to use.

Zucchini and Basil Frittata

5 eggs

3 cups zucchini, julienned/matchsticked 

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

15 fresh basil leaves, torn

salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in an ovenproof skillet.
2. Beat the eggs together and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper.  Sauté for a minute or two, until it is warmed through.
4. Stir in the basil and ricotta.  Add the egg and stir for a minute.
5. Place in an oven at 350.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until it has risen and serve immediately.

Pizza Dough

In our neighbourhood there is a very fancy expensive pizza joint and their pizza is amazing.  They have pizza designed for a sophisticated palate and their creations are delicious.  I decided that I too can make fancy pizzas with what I have at home and cater it to my current cravings.
In order to do this, I could not use something store bought for the crust, I had to find a recipe I could put together without too much effort and that didn't take too much time to be ready to use.  After some searching, this is what I decide on using.  This recipe made a nice light crust.  The crust is fine as it is but if you want to add a little extra flavour you could always add a little seasoning to it.  

Pizza Dough

2 cups flour

2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp lukewarm water

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp yeast

1. Mix together 1 cup of the flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast (and any extra seasonings you may desire).
2. Gradually add the remaining cup of flour until it forms a ball.
3. Knead briefly on a floured surface.
4. Let the dough raise for 10-15 minutes in a bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap.
5. Spread out onto a pan and cover with your favourite toppings.
6. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Rhubarb Jellies

A well established rhubarb crap can be daunting to some but exciting to others.  Right now ours are not too big and very easy for us to use up.  When I visited my Uncle's house recently he had plenty to spare and he kindly shared some with us.
There are so many things I enjoy doing with rhubarb, from muffins, to cakes and stewing it but I felt like trying something new.  I looked online and came across a rhubarb special from Chatelaine magazine and the Rhubarb Jellies recipe jumped out at me.  I love jellies and I had everything I needed on hand so I got to work.
These jellies are so easy to make and have a very impressive taste.  They are best fresh but fine kept in the fridge for a couple of days.  When you are slicing them, I suggest small slices because they are sweet and in my opinion it is better to grab a couple than have one that is too big for you to finish.
*These are what Europeans consider to be jellies, but most North Americans would probably call them gummies.

Rhubarb Jellies

1 1/4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 tbsp water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar

42.5 mL liquid pectin (half a package)

2 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting

1. Oil an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, combine the rhubarb, water and lemon juice.  Heat on medium-high until the rhubarb is tender.
3. Transfer the mix into a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Return to the heavy bottomed pot and stir in 1 cup of sugar.  Boil until a candy thermometer reaches 210 (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Stir in liquid pectin and boil for another 2 minutes.
6. Poor into the loaf pan and allow to cool and firm (about an hour).
7. Flip out onto a cutting board and cut into small pieces.  Dust the pieces with sugar.

Zucchini Oatmeal Spice Muffins

If you have looked through my blog, you will see I make a lot of muffins.  I find muffins to be a wonderful snack to have on hand.  I will often make a double or a triple batch so I can have some in the freezer to pull out as I need them.  Muffins are easy to grab as you are about to head out the door.  They are great for little ones to much on in the stroller.
Here is a lovely muffin recipe to use up zucchinis.  I will often add extra cinnamon, raisins and pecans.  I used a giant one and scraped out the seeds.

Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flax seeds

1/3 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oats

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup mlk

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups peeled and shredded zucchini

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 pecans

1. Combine the first eight ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Make sure they are well blended together.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients.
3. Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just blended.
4. Fold in the zucchini, raisins and pecans.
5. Bake at 400 for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Corn and Zucchini Saute

I guess this is my first zucchini post of the summer and I am sure it will be my first of many.  This year we have 4 plants in the garden.  I know you are probably thinking why on earth would you plant that many zucchini plants? We tend to have a bit of a problem with slugs in our garden so I always have to plant more than I think I will need so I can hope to have one or two plants survive.  If our garden was at our home, it would be a lot easier to deal with these pest but right now life is busy and we only get out to the garden once or twice a week.
My new vice is Pinterest and it is a great way to find new recipes (and waste time while your at it).  This is one I came across a while ago and decided to save it for the summer.  I think it is a perfect recipe to have in the summer, especially if you have corn and zucchini in your garden.  It does not take long to prepare and tastes wonderful.  It is one I will keep on hand to use in the future and use whatever I happen to have on hand in the fridge.

Corn and Zucchini Saute

1 medium zucchini, halved and cut into thin slices

corn cut off 3 ears of corn

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 cup torn basil leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok.
2. Saute the onion until it is translucent.
3. Add the zucchini slices and garlic.  Toss around in the pan for a couple of minutes, until the zucchini is bright green.
4. Add the corn and season with salt and pepper.  Stir the vegetables until the corn is heated.
5. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and basil before serving.

Creamy Rice Pudding

I have not mastered the art of making the perfect amount of rice to feed our family.  I usually make too much and have leftovers of rice but not what I was serving with it.  I don't like to eat day old, reheated rice so our dog will often get it.
Tonight I decided to try and turn the leftover rice in the fridge into a rice pudding for dessert.  It was easy enough to make and we all enjoyed it.  The only one who I am sure will be disappointed about me using this recipe more frequently is our dog.

Creamy Rice Pudding

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 cups milk divided

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/3 white sugar

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp butter

cinnamon to garnish

1. In a saucepan combine the rice, 1 1/2 cups of milk and the salt.  Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture is thick and creamy.  It should take about 15-20 minutes
2. Whisk together the egg, sugar and the remaining milk.  Pour it into the rice mixture and add the raisins if you are using them.  Stir the mixture continually until the egg has set (about 3 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  

Blackberry Muffins

The fruit is ready early this year so not only are we frantically try to use up the berries from last year so we have room for this years lot! I find muffins so handy so I am turning most of the berries into muffins.  We love muffins in our house and I think they are the perfect gift for families with little ones.
These moist muffins are marvellous! I love how flavours of the cinnamon and blackberries blend so well together.  If you want to add a little extra sweetness to the muffins you could sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar.  This recipe would go well with any berries you have if you don't have blackberries at your disposal.

Blackberry Muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 rolled oats

1/4 flax seed

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt 

1 tbsp milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 cups blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Combine the flour, oats, flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Whisk together the melted butter, yogurt, milk, vanilla sugar and eggs together.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and stir until just blended.  Fold in the blackberries.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Balsamic Dijon Chicken Marinade

Now that the days are getting longer, it is the perfect time to have a couple of friends over for a barbecue.  Tonight we had a great time with some friends and their kids.  I hope we can have many more nights like tonight this summer.  The kids were great, the company was great and the food turned out well.
I wanted a simple marinade to use on some chicken that would work well with grilled vegetables.  After looking at a couple of recipes I borrowed a couple of ideas and came up with a hybrid of a few. I marinated the chicken overnight and the flavours turned out wonderful.

2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Red Current Oatmeal Muffins

With the berry season nearing we are frantically trying to use up all of last year's berries from the freezer before we start picking this year's crop.  Judging by how the bushes look this year, I think there will be lots.  We still have lots of red currents in the freezer so I have decided to focus on finding recipes to use them in.
I have always loved muffins and with two young kids I have come to love them more.  They are so easy to eat while you are busy and my little ones like them too.
This recipe is very easy to make and the end result is delicious.

Red Current Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/4 cup quick oats

1 cup flour

1/3 sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup red currents

1. Preheat the oven to 425 and either grease the muffin tins or put in paper liners.
2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients together.  Make sure they are well mixed before making a well in the middle of the ingredients.
3. Whisk together the milk, egg and oil.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.  Fold in the currents.
5. Fill. the muffin tins 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Almond Cake

It is always hard to find a recipe that will work for the dietary requirements for everyone in my extended family.  I was desperate to find a cake recipe that everyone could enjoy without having any discomforts from the ingredients.  This is a wonderful gluten-free cake that everyone can enjoy!  It is a cake I will make even when I do not need to have a gluten-free dessert option.  It is sweet and does not need to be iced if you do not have time.

Chocolate Almond Cake

2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup olive oil

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1. Grease and flour a 9" cake pan and preheat he oven to 350.
2. Combine the dry ingredients together.
3. Warm the honey with the oil so they combine together and then mix in the vanilla and eggs.
4. Combine the wet with the dry and stir until everything is moist.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minute or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool before you try to take it out of the pan.

Spiced Apple Chicken

I do love cook books and fingering through them to find inspiration for meals but I two little ones demanding my attention so I am not able to do it as often as I'd like too.  I had some apples that I needed to use up and so I looked to Google to help me create the menu for tonight's meal.
This created a wonderful meal that didn't take hours to make and one that every one enjoyed.  When I use apples in recipes, I prefer to leave the skin on because of the nutritional benefits but if you are going for elegance, it may be better to peel them.  In the future I could see adding the seasonings in this recipe to bread crumbs to make a breaded chicken and serve the apples on top.
This is a flavourful dish that pairs well with pretty much any standard side dish.

Spiced Apple Chicken

2 apples (a sweeter variety is best)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

3 tbsp butter, divided

1 1/8 tbsp Herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup chicken stock

zest of one lemon

1. Core and chop the apple into thin pieces and toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and cinnamon.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and butter together in a skillet then add the apple mixture.  Stir occasionally until the apples are tender and then keep them warm for serving.
3. Place the chicken between plastic and tenderize it with a mallet or rolling pin until it is of uniform thickness (roughly 1/2 inch).
4. Mix 1 tbsp of the Herbs de Provence with the salt and pepper.  Sprinkle this mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts.
5. Add 1 tbsp of the butter and olive oil to the skillet over high heat.  Add half the chicken and cook it through.  Set it aside where it can stay warm.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.
6. Add the broth, zest, remain Herbs de Provence and any juice from the chicken to the pan.  Cook, stirring any brown bits from the side of the pan for about 3 minutes.
7. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve beside the apples.

Blackberry Chicken

I love looking to the world wide web for inspirations and ideas for meals, especially when I want to put ingredients together that are not typically paired together.  Our freezer is still full of berries from last summer that we would like to use up before the summer so I decided to hunt for a recipe.  I found a recipe on a great blog called The Gracious Pantry and I modified it a bit based on what I had on hand.  I am sure it is a blog I will return to for more recipe ideas!
 I served it with some roasted vegetables.

Blackberry Chicken

1 onion, sliced into rings

4 chicken breasts

1 cup frozen blackberries

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp minced rosemary

3 cloves minced garlic

1. Make a layer of onions in the bottom of the crockpot and place the chicken over top.
2. Scatter the blackberries over the chicken.
3. Whisk together the balsamic, rosemary and garlic before pouring it over the mixture in the crockpot.
4. Cook on low heat for 6 hours or high for 3.

Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

Whenever I ask my toddler what she wants to eat, 99% of the time she will say pancakes.  Pancakes are a special breakfast in our house that we like to do on the weekend.  I thought it would be nice to try a new recipe for a change so I went online and did some searching.  I found a couple of pancake recipes made with coconut milk and I am a huge fan of coconut milk.  Knowing that we still have a bunch of blueberries in our deep freezer to use up in the next couple of months, I decided this would be a great recipe to try.
The pancakes tasted wonderful and had just a hint of coconut.  If you really want a coconut flavour I would suggest adding some coconut flakes to the batter as well.  I like my pancakes with a lot of blueberries so adjust the amount of blueberries in the recipes to you liking.

Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2c tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 14 oz can coconut milk

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups blueberries

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Whisk the coconut milk together until it is smooth (I find it helps to heat it up a little bit). Then add the addition wet ingredients, whisking them until they are blended.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and mix enough to moisten all the dry ingredients.  
4. Lightly stir in the blueberries.
5. Heat a non-stick pan or griddle to medium heat and oil the surface as needed.  Pour enough batter on the surface to make the pancakes your desired size.  I will usually use 1/3 of a cup per pancake.
6. Allow the pancake to bubble and the edges begin to dry before flipping to cook the other side.

*I will often turn my oven on to the lowest setting so I can keep the first pancakes warm while I use up the batter. 

Cranberry Orange Chicken

Life has gotten very busy in the past few months and I am making use of my crockpot more than ever.  In the new year a couple of my friends had shared a link on Facebook to 20 Freezer Meals in 4 Hours from the Stock Piling Moms website.  I was intrigued so I decided to make a bunch of them for the freezer so on my really busy days, all I have to do is pull a bag out of the freezer the night before to let it defrost and then set it in the crockpot in the morning.
I love how well cranberry and orange go together and whenever I see bags of cranberries at the grocer, I will grab a couple for the freezer to use at a later date.  I really enjoyed this recipe for Cranberry Orange Chicken and I found it went well with rice.  It is a good one to make if you have leftover cranberry sauce to use up.

Cranberry Orange Chicken

3 chicken breasts
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of cranberry sauce
2 cups of water

1. Place the chicken, orange juice and cranberry sauce in the crockpot and then add the water. 
2.  You can set your crockpot to low and cook for 6-8 hours or set it to high and cook for 2-4 hours.

If you want to make a couple to have on hand in the freezer, put the chicken, orange juice and cranberry sauce into a freezer bag. Be sure to write the instructions on the bag to add 2 cups of water along with the cooking temperature and time.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

I think mug cakes are brilliant for many reason but since my little is very observant and wants to eat whatever Mommy is eating I have fallen in love with them even more!  We are trying to teach our little ones good eating habits by setting a good example and so we are trying to avoid having sweets that are easily accessible.  Mug cakes are a good solution for when I need a sweet treat after the little ones are in bed.  They are quick to make and are just one serving so there is no evidence in the kitchen for them to find the next day.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

pinch of salt

3 tbsp milk

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp peanut butter

1. In a large mug whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
3. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 10 seconds and enjoy!