Poached Peaches and Cream

"Poached Peaches?" you say with a squirmish little face? It's ok, so did I when Mr. Chef presented his "appetizer" one night. Well, let me just tell you...Wipe that worried little look off your face and dig in! These babies are yummy yummy yummy and fast and easy and really pretty healthy!
My creative husband came up with these on a whim one night because we needed to use my COSTCO size tub of sour cream that I bought on a whim one night. Who buys Sour Cream at Costco when you don't have something specific to use it for and there are only 2 of you (i'm leaving out my 1 yr. old, she doesn't eat enough sour cream to count)? Well, apparently I do :)
So, go buy your sour cream at Costco, just for fun, and get your poachin' on!

source

{Ingredients}
1 15.25 oz. can peach halves in heavy syrup
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp. Allspice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Sauce:
1 C Sour Cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

{Directions}
Drain peach syrup into shallow pan. Add lemon juice, vanilla and brown sugar. Cook on medium/high heat until warm, stirring until sugar dissolves completely. Add spices (Allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon).
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add peach halves, flat side down. Cover the pan but leave the lid open a crack. Allow to boil until sauce is about 1/2 it's original volume.

While boiling prepare sauce. Whip sour cream, 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla together until soft peaks* form.

Serve sauce on top of peaches.

*Soft Peaks: When you turn your whisk upside down, the peaks are just starting to hold. They're soft and melt back into themselves after a second.You can go a little longer if you prefer and make "firm peaks" that are still soft but hold their shape.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as we did!

**serving suggestion: Make and serve these in individual ramekins with one peach half in each ramekin. This is the way we usually do it and it creates a more sophisticated feel. Kind-of fun :)

Chicken Fajitas

So, last night was a fajita night and a last minute fajita night. The nap was an essential part of the day but it started and ended a little later than planned, so when the husband called to say he's coming home, I went into fast crazy mode for fajitas. Go figure these were AMAZING!!! The original recipe called for 3/4lb sirloin steak but we substituted chicken thighs and it was so delicious!
I loved how easy this was and how much flavor they packed. So, here is a quick, easy, mostly all-on-hand recipe for those crazy nights.  

{Ingredients}

• 2 chicken thighs, thawed and sliced into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 3 garlic clove, finely minced, divided
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3-4 flour tortillas (8 inch/20 cm)-- we love Costco's unbaked tortillas. 
• 1 -2 onion , we usually use approx. 1-2 depending on size (however much you like,enough to make a good mix with the peppers)
• 2 small bell peppers, of your choice (green, red, or yellow) 

{Topping Suggestions}
Salsa
sour cream
shredded cheese
chopped tomatoes
or serve them with just the sauteed veggies - they aren't lacking much. 

{Directions}

1. Slice chicken into thin strips.
2. In bowl, mix together 1 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, 1 tsp garlic (1-2 cloves), chili powder, cumin, hot pepper flakes, black pepper & salt.
3. Add chicken strips and stir to coat, set aside.
4. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in 350° oven for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. (Cook tortillas just before you are ready to serve so they are soft and warm if you are using raw tortillas)
5. Cut onions in half lengthwise and slice into strips, cut your peppers into strips.
6. In large non stick skillet over medium high heat, heat remaining tablespoons of olive oil.
7. Add (remaining)1 tsp. minced garlic and saute until fragrant. (approximately 1-2 cloves) 
8. Add onions & peppers stirring for 3-4 minutes, until softened; transfer to a bowl and set aside.
9. Add chicken to skillet, cook, stirring for 5-7 minutes or until they lose are cooked through and the juices start to thicken.
10. Return onions and peppers to skillet; stir for about one minute.
11. To serve, spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, top with your desired toppings , fold bottom of tortilla up over filling, fold the sides in, overlapping.

We served these with chips and salsa and celery with ranch. Simple yet satisfying.

The original recipe was found on food.com

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Cookies

These cookies were made totally by mistake. I was sending treats to a family party and had the cutest Halloween creations in mind for all the kids. So, I went to the store and couldn't quite justify spending the money on real Oreos because they were super expensive at the time. So, being the cheapskate I am, I bought the generic brand of Oreos. Luckily before I made my little treats I tasted an Oreo and it was AWFUL!!! I was so disappointed! The real thing was def. worth a few extra bucks. So, I looked for a recipe that I could use the gross Oreos in without it really ruining the treat. These were a success! I think real Oreos would probably be better and you can never go wrong with double-stuffed but this is one recipe that the generic brand didn't make a difference.

 First of all, for any that don't know...this is how I feel about Oreo's! Just so we are all clear :)

So, needless to say, these have been on the list of "to-post" for a very very long time! Like I said, I made these back in October for a family Halloween party and they were definitely a hit! (well, we couldn't actually make the party so that's hearsay but it came from several trusted sources so we'll go with it.)

My little helper, who was so mad when we baked these creations! You can call me a bad mom as soon as she gets Salmonella, until then, I'm the favorite mom. Got it?

Anyway, they turned out so pretty and were really fun to make! mmm, these cookies were one recipe that I really wanted to keep on my counter and accidentally make them disappear one by one. Actually funny story with these...My sister and brother-in-law were picking up the cookies and taking them to St. George for the party. They were running late and I had an appt. so I couldn't meet them when they would be passing my house so we arranged for me to hide them right off the freeway and they would grab and go. Yes, I hid a plate of homemade cookies behind a sign on the side of the road. Until I got her call confirming the pick-up, I kept hoping that MAYBE they wouldn't be able to find them and then, oh well, since they were on one of my favorite platters, i would HAVE to go pick them up and since we weren't going to St. George for Halloween we would HAVE to eat them all...dang, maybe next time :)
Enjoy these, they are gooey, soft, delicious and worth it.

Makes 20 - 30 cookies* 
(Recipe from http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2010/10/oreo-cookie-cookies.html)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 20 oreos, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
4. Add in the crushed oreos. Beat on low speed for just a few seconds to break up the oreos in the dough.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.*
6. Bake for 13 to 16 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.**

Beef Bourguignon

This recipe blew my mind! Both my husband and I kind of went crazy when we tasted this, it was so yummy and tasted like it was a lot more difficult to make than it was (which is always a plus). You can use stew beef or Venison (who regularly has venison? not us). Mr. chef and I LOVE LOVE LOVE steak and this was a really fun new recipe for using the frozen stew meat that we buy in bulk from Costco. Somehow, when we are there things like giant packages of meat always end up in our cart. MMM, why fight something that delicious?  We don't.

Anyway, make sure you give yourself enough time to prep it and then a few hours for cooking but the actual "hands-on" time was pretty simple.

MEAT MIXTURE:

1/2 to 1 lb. bacon, cut into strips 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch long
1 tbsp. olive oil
3-5 lbs. lean stewing beef or venison steak, cut in 2-inch cubes
2-3 sliced carrots
2 sm. onions, cut into ringlets
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. flour

Cook bacon until crispy, then add olive oil to saute bacon. Remove bacon. Saute beef or venison in "hot, smoking" oil. (Use dried beef and venison as it will brown nicer.) Remove meat. Saute carrot, onions in same fat. Add vegetables to beef mixture. Throw out remaining fat. Sprinkle meat mixture with flour and seasonings. Toss lightly in uncovered casserole dish in oven at 450 degrees for 4 minutes, mix. Return to oven for 4 minutes, mix again. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

WINE MIXTURE:

3 c. red wine (inexpensive)
2-3 c. beef stock or bouillon
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 tsp. thyme
Bay leaf, crumbled
1 lg. onion, chopped and sauteed
1 lb. mushrooms, quartered and sauteed (when we made this last week we left off the mushrooms because I was too lazy to go to the store ad it was still yummy)

Prepare 1/2 cup wine with remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour over meat. Combine remaining wine with bouillon. Mix into meat mixture so that it is covered. Cook slowly at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until meat is tender.When ready to serve, saute mushrooms and onions. Distribute evenly over meat. Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or rice (we used egg noodles and they were great). Decorate with parsley.

DIVINE.

Parmesan Black Beans

I feel funny posting this recipe because the first step is, Open and drain one can of black beans. Enjoy this, it's a great little side dish.

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 grated Parmesan (or Romano, or mixture of both) Cheese
Salt

Heat beans in a small sauce pan, stirring frequently
Add cheese and salt.
stir until heated through and cheese is melted, enjoy.

Goes great with Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

I"M BACK!!! yay! This whole pregant thing has been killing me lately. Let's keep it simple and say, some of our dinners have been creative at best and NOT blog worthy! Ha ha don't be sorry you missed out. Food just hasn't sounded good ya know, my poor husband, who loves GOOD food almost as much as anything, has been a great sport though and I think i'm back in action. At least for today :)

Now, the latest love.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Parmesan Black Beans and Peaches. MMMMM!!!!!

This recipe was one of the easiest things i've ever made and was delicious. Best part, the whole house smelled like I was an insanely good cook, you should have seen the Mr's face when he walked in from work, a little smile and a sniff in the air. Pay off, right there. Make this. Tonight. and Tomorrow, and maybe the next day too....

Ingredients:
2 Boneless Pork Chops
Sour Cream (enough to coat chops, about 3/4 C)
Breadcrumbs to coat chops
a few shakes Basil, Rosemary and Thyme to add a little kick to the breadcrumbs, or just buy the Italian Flavored Breadcrumbs, that would be easier. 
3/4 C grated Romano/Parmesan Cheese. I mixed my cheeses and it was yummy but you could just do Parmesan if you wanted.
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Olive oil

Directions:
Place cheese in one pie plate, sour cream in one pie plate, breadcrumbs and spices in one pie plate. 
Dry pork chops and season both sides, thoroughly, with salt and pepper. Dip in cheese, make sure both sides are well coated. Dip in sour cream, again make sure both sides are well covered, and finally dip in breadcrumbs, making sure both sides are well covered. If your breadcrumbs aren't sticking very well throw them in the fridge for a few minutes and that should help.

*to make this dish a little lower cal substitute eggs (2) for the sour cream. I didn't have any eggs (I know who doesn't have eggs, we are in need of a grocery run in a BAD way) so I used sour cream and it helped keep the pork chops super tender. You choose. 

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and cook Pork Chops through, about 6 minutes on each side.

(*If you are opposed to eating pork I think this recipe would make some amazing chicken too)

Done.
Can you say EASY!!!!!!!!
Enjoy this recipe, we loved it, let me know what you thought!

Pork Chops Agrodolce

THESE. ARE. INCREDIBLE.

Pork Chops tend to be our go-to meal so we've had them lots of different ways. This, hands-down, is my all-time favorite pork chop recipe. It's been about 2 weeks and my husband still brings it up. This sauce was perfectly sweet yet so savory, the chops were so tender and the taste was incredible. I think the best part though was that they are easy, fast and really don't use anything weird so no need for a special plan ahead trip to the store, everything is usually in my pantry. 

This entry comes from The Cilantropist.

THANK YOU TO HER! loving her blog and recipes! This one has been my favorite!

{Recipe}
4 bone in pork chops, each about 3/4 in thick (to use chops that are 1 in thick, refer to the original recipe) I used boneless and these were still delicious. Just watch as you cook them.
Salt and pepper to taste
About 1 tbsp olive oil

For sauce:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1-2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup chicken broth
1-2 tbsp unsalted butter

For serving: Chopped onions and peppers, sauteed in olive oil with a splash of balsamic vinegar, and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper 

To prepare pork chops, first season them with salt and pepper.  Then heat the olive oil in a large fry pan or skillet over medium high heat.  Add the pork chops and cook, turning once, for about 2 minutes per side, then transfer them to plate.

To make the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and minced thyme to the same pan used for browning the pork chops. Cook the liquid until it is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chicken broth, and then increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a simmer. Return the pork chops to the pan, cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Then, uncover, turn the pork chops, and cook for 4-5 minutes more, basting with the sauce once. Transfer the pork chops to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.  

To finish the sauce, reduce the heat to high, and simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thick and syrupy.  Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter until it is smooth.  Drizzle the sauce over the pork chops and serve immediately with sauteed peppers and onions, or your favorite vegetables or salad and some Garlic Parmesan pull-apart bread.