Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Bake

I made this last weekend for a group of friends and it was dee-lish. It's a recipe that's easily adjusted to the amount of people you are serving. One chicken breast per person is a good estimate, but you will probably end up with leftovers. I made six (they were actually pretty massive) chicken breasts for six people, and four ended up being plenty for all of us.

THE INGREDIENTS:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (1 per person)
Prepared Spinach Artichoke Dip - or of course you can always make your own!
1 Can of Medium Artichoke Hearts, drained
1 Pint of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved
2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
Salt & Pepper, Garlic Powder, Dried Basil (to taste)

THE SUPPLIES:
Oven-Safe Baking Dish or Pyrex
Tooth Picks

THE Easy-As-Pie DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Trim any fat from your chicken breasts, and then use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into each breast, being careful not to slice all the way through.

3. Stuff each pocket with the Spinach Artichoke Dip, like so:

4. Close each chicken up with Tooth Picks. (I used 4 per breast)

5. Season your meat with some Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Salt, and Dried Basil and place into your Oven Safe Baking Dish.

(note: this photo was taken before I seasoned)

6. In the meantime, cut your artichokes into halves and put them into a bowl with the halved tomatoes.

7. Add the All-Purpose Flour and Minced Garlic to the veggie mixture. This will thicken the juices as it all cooks together.

8. Pour mixture over the Chicken Breasts, like so:

8. Bake at 400 F, for approximately 45 minutes. 

(Note: this will depend on your oven and the size of your chicken, but should bake somewhere between 25-55 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, cook until internal chicken temperature reaches 165 degrees F).

9. OPTIONAL: if you are a cheese-lover like I am, cover the top of your dish with shredded mozzarella and let it melt on top during the last ten minutes of the bake time. Serve hot, and enjoy!

Voila!

Color-Pop Cake!

CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! you love it. And wouldn't you agree that the more fun a cake looks, the more fun it is to eat? My thoughts exactly. So when I was making a birthday cake for a friend of mine last week, I got a little inspired to make my funfetti just a liiiiittle more fun by adding in some pops of color. Here is how I did it...

The INGREDIENTS

1 box of White Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker - Funfetti)

3-4 Different Food Colorings (I used Betty Crocker - Neon Food Coloring)

Vegetable Oil + Water (amount will depend on cake mix, follow directions on the box)

3 Eggs

1 12oz. tub of Frosting 

White Chocolate Chips (optional)

The SUPPLIES

Two 8" or 9" Round Cake Pans

Electric Mixer

Cupcake/Muffin Baking Tin

Mixing Bowls (for various colored batter)

Paper Baking Cups

The DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Mix cake batter according to box instructions and set aside in a bowl. 

3. Grab your mixing bowls, and measure out the amount of batter that you want to be colored. I chose 3 colors: Pink, Purple & Green for the "mini-cakes".

(1 MINI CAKE = 1/4 CUP BATTER)

4. Once you have measured out your batter, you can color each bit to your liking!

Original

Purple

Pink

Green

5. Carefully measure 1/4 cup of individually colored batter into Baking Cups inside of the Muffin Tin (just like making cupcakes with less batter than usual). Be careful not to over-pour. Size matters.

6. Bake the mini-cakes for approximately 15 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Take them out of their paper baking cups and place 3-4 in each Round Cake Pan, like so:

I dropped a handful of White Chocolate Chips in one half of the cake for some added flavor and texture. I also placed another handful between the two cakes after I frosted it.

7. Bake your cakes according to box instructions. Most 9" cakes should bake in 24-29 minutes.

8. Remove from oven, cool completely, frost, and serve.

Voila!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

That's right, from scratch! I know it's always easy enough to just pick up a dip from your local grocery store when you need to bring something to a party or if you just feel like indulging. Next time though, try out this simple DIY recipe that is both mouth-watering and will impress your friends.

First, gather your INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Mayo
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream
3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
3/4 cup Mozzarella, shredded
1 can Artichoke Hearts, drained
1 pkg. Frozen Spinach, drained and squeezed
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
3 tbsp. Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

NOW LEMME BREAK IT DOWN FOR YA...

1. Thaw the Frozen Spinach in the microwave (3-4 minutes), then drain. Squeeze extra liquid out with your (clean) hands and throw it in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine softened Cream Cheese and Mayo in a large bowl.

3. Throw in the Parmesan

The Mozzarella

 The Garlic

& the Red Pepper

4. Add your Salt & Pepper

5. Go back to your spinach & use a paper towel to soak up any extra liquids. The less, the better. No one likes a runny dip. Break it up and add it to your mixture.

6. Chop your artichokes as finely as you like, and them to your mixture. This defines the final texture of the dip.

7. Finish it up by adding the Sour Cream. Mix it up!

8. Bake uncovered in an Oven-Safe Dish for 25 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly around the edges. 

Voila!

Potato Gnocchi w/ Brussels and Bacon

POTATO BALLS! Or gnocchi, if you prefer. This meal was a bit of an experiment for me since it was my first time ever cooking gnocchi myself. To my surprise, it is WAY easier to make than I had thought. More simple than cooking plain pasta. Sometimes when I make little discoveries such as this, I feel like a total dumb-dumb. [SO SIMPLE]. Anyway this meal is hearty, super tasty, and one that I will definitely be making again.

SERVES 3-4

Le SUPPLIES:
1 Large Pot
1 Pan
1 Baking Sheet
Strainer
Aluminum Foil

Le INGREDIENTS: 
1 lb. Potato Gnocchi (recommend: Trader Joes)
1 lb. Brussel Sprouts (recommend: Trader Joes)
4 Strips Peppered Uncured Turkey Bacon, diced
1 cup Onion, chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
Olive Oil

and Le SAUCE:
1 cup Organic Sharp White Cheddar, grated
1/2 cup Milk
1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

NOW LET'S GET COOKIN'

DIRECTIONS:

It's going to look like there are a lot of directions, but I am just trying to break this down for you as best as possible so just pay attention. It's easy.

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. Pour 5 quarts water into your LARGE POT, bring to a boil.

3. Wash and chop the ends off of your BRUSSEL SPROUTS. Rub in OLIVE OIL and spread along FOIL-lined BAKING SHEET. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately wrap BRUSSELS in the foil lining as tightly as possible. Let steam inside of the foil for an additional 15 minutes. This will soften them, but not cook them entirely.

4. Once steamed/softened, chop BRUSSELS into quarters and set aside.

5. In LARGE POT, cook GNOCCHI until it begins to rise to the top of the water. Once they've all risen, cook for an additional 2 minutes and drain in your STRAINER. Return GNOCCHI to the pot and remove from heat.

6. In your PAN, heat some OLIVE OIL over medium heat, then saute diced BACON, ONIONS, and BRUSSEL SPROUTS until the BRUSSELS and the BACON begin to caramelize. Add GARLIC.

Mix it up.

7. Meanwhile, add CHEESE, MILK, BUTTER, & FLOUR to the pot with the cooked GNOCCHI and heat on medium-low until the CHEESE melts.

8. Once all of the sauce ingredients begin to blend into a thick sauce, fold saute the BRUSSELS mixture into the GNOCCHI & enjoy!

VOILA!

Beer Battered Blackened Corn

OH YES, it really is as good as it looks. Last night while my boyfriend was attempting some oven-baked fried chicken (which ended up being delicious) I decided to give this little recipe a try. Inspired by Allrecipes's Mexican Blackened Corn Recipe, I added my own little flave and this is what I came up with...

FIRST, the ingredients:

4 Ears Sweet Corn, kernels cut (or 2 cups whole kernel corn)

1/2 Large White Onion, chopped

2-3 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 Cup Beer

NEXT, the instructions:

1. Place the kernels of corn into a large skillet over HIGH heat.

2. Sprinkle the CUMIN, SEA SALT, and CAYENNE PEPPER over the corn.

3. Sizzle. Sizzle. Use a spatula to turn the kernels as they cook.

4. After a few minutes, stir in the chopped ONION and GARLIC.

5. Keep stirring every few minutes, until the corn begins to stick to the pan. Once this happens, pour the BEER into the pan to help unstick the corn. (I used PBR)

6. Cook until corn is dark with black spots, about 20 minutes.

It should look like this once it's done:

7. Remove from heat, and enjoy!