Honey Pecan Chicken Breasts

Back in my early 20s, I was lucky to be able to boil water for Ramen, scramble eggs without them turning into a charred pile of yuck or a soggy nasty mess, or make a grilled cheese without burning the house down. I had labeled myself a microwave aficionado. I was excellent at popping stuff in the microwave. I was semi-okay at sticking a frozen pizza in the oven. I ate a lot of cereal.

Then, when I was 25, I met this guy who was even more hopeless in the kitchen than I was. I decided that at least one of us should know how to cook so I picked up a Taste of Home cook book and taught myself how to cook (which was good, because we ended up getting married). I now have a collection of cook books that rivals my collection of fiction (and I am an avid reader).

One of my favorite finds was in an all-chicken cook book released by Taste of Home. It's' got a small ingredient list, and was easy enough for me to prepare without too much stress. Honey Pecan Chicken is a very pretty dish that combines the sweetness of honey, the spice of cayenne, and the crunch of pecans to really turn up the flavor on a plain old chicken breast. It's great with some steamed veggies to make a nice, fairly healthy meal that is quick and easy to put together. It's easy to modify/multiply to fit your family's taste buds and needs, and has become a staple in my weekly meal plans.

I've only changed this recipe very slightly (garlic powder instead of minced garlic, adding cinnamon to the pecans, browning in olive oil instead of butter), and it's a hit every time.

Your cast of characters:

Not pictured: garlic powder

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded flat
Salt
Pepper
Ground cayenne 
Garlic powder
Cinnamon
Finely chopped pecans
Honey
Olive oil (or butter), for browning

Season the chicken breasts with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground cayenne. Cook in olive oil until juices run clear.

While the chicken is cooking mix a little cinnamon and ground cayenne to the chopped pecans, and set them aside.

Once the chicken is done, remove from heat and drizzle with honey then sprinkle the pecans over the top. I usually put a little more honey over top of the pecans, but that's optional. Then you're done, and you get this:

With a side of zucchini and onions.

That's all. Quick and easy and delicious.

Enjoy!
~Mandy

Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

Last night for dinner I made one of my favorite main dishes. It's an edit of the first "blog" recipe I ever made for a meal. I got the idea from Cassie Craves - Cream Cheese Enchiladas. She prepares them with shredded chicken and corn, and made that way, they are fantastic.

One evening a while back, I wanted seafood. And I wanted Mexican. I couldn't figure out what I really wanted and decided to see if I could find a recipe that fit both cravings. I kept looking at this one thinking "that would be pretty good with shrimp..." and so that's where this modification came from.

The original recipe calls for 2 cups of shredded chicken, but instead, I got a 1-pound bag of the extra small frozen shrimp, and one of those small 'snack packs' of imitation crab meat... krab, if you will. I mixed that up together with some frozen corn and added the chili powder, some cumin, a little onion powder, and omitted the salt and pepper figuring there was plenty of both in the salsa. I also omitted the scallions, mostly because I forgot to buy some (oops!). I also used a full block of cream cheese and a little extra sour cream (because I had accidentally picked up 10-inch tortillas, instead of 8 and needed the extra filling), I also added a splash of white wine vinegar (completely optional, it was a whim and they will be delicious without it).

This recipe is highly adaptable for whatever your taste buds are asking for. It's also excellent with shredded chicken, black beans instead of corn, and a little lime juice.

Anyway, this was was when I pulled it out of the oven:

Couldn't wait to dig in...

And this is when I cut into it on my plate:

So much creamy goodness.

And this is the recipe, as I made it last night (Modified from Cassie Craves)!

8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups salsa (I used medium, but go with your taste buds)
Splash white wine vinegar
1 cup shredded colby jack (or mild or sharp cheddar)
1 cup shredded pepper-jack (or mozarella + a sprinkle of ground cayanne or red pepper flakes)
1lb frozen small shrimp, thawed
1/3 cup imitation crab meat, chopped (optional)
1 cup frozen corn (I don't thaw it first, so they don't get smashed when I'm stirring)
chili powder
cumin
onion powder
salt & pepper (optional)
8 10-inch flour tortillas (you can use 8 inch, or corn, or whatever, I had 10 inch on hand)

Heat oven to 325

Mix together cream cheese and sour cream until smooth, then add 1/2 cup of salsa, 1/2 cup of each of the cheeses, vinegar if you are using it, and mix until everything is blended. In another bowl, add your meats, corn, and seasonings. Make sure everything is well incorporated, then add to the cream cheese mixture and mix it up.

Spread 1/2 cup of salsa (I mixed mine with some sour cream, too) on the bottom of a large casserole dish (9x13 was too small for mine, believe it or not!). I had to use this dish. Then use 1/3c (or so) of the filling mixture for each tortilla, roll up burrito style, and place seam-side down in the prepared dish. Top with the remaining salsa (again, I mixed mine with a little sour cream to stretch it), and the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 325F for about 25 minutes, until heated through, and cheese is melty.

Let cool for just a few minutes, then serve and enjoy! I know we did.

This makes 8 meal-size servings, unless you are a bottomless pit like my husband, who ate two.

Tonight's dinner is a chicken dinner for two, courtesy of Taste of Home, with a side of zucchini and onion. Mostly healthy eats tonight. :)

~Mandy

Pepperoni Biscuits

Today, as I'm sitting in my home staring at the snow on the ground that has South Carolina shut down, I've been perusing various food blogs that I love for some yummy food ideas.

I was scrolling through the various offerings on my Facebook feed (I 'like' so many food blogs, my feed is a steady stream of food porn - it's glorious), and came across this recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian - Bite  Sized Pepperoni Puffs. I thought "That sounds perfect!" Only I didn't have everything the recipe called for, so it inspired me to create something along the same lines, with what I had available.

Because I'm addicted to a certain brand of biscuit mix, I always have it on hand, and I've got a copy-cat recipe for Red Lobster's biscuits using it... I thought I'd use that item and that knowledge to satisfy my taste buds. They were awfully demanding after seeing the pictures.

SO addicting. I think it's the shortening flakes. The biscuits come out so fluffy.

It smelled pretty fabulous as I was mixing it up, so I put a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of cheese atop each little mound of dough, and stuck it in the oven.

I'm not really "exact" with my cooking.

This is one I tore into as soon as they cooled enough to touch.

Mmm.... Cheesy.

I took one to my husband, and he inhaled it. He said they were delicious.

Also, I am aware my photography needs work, but I'm of the mind that food shouldn't be *too* pretty, because then I won't want to eat it... And I do enjoy eating.

How to make these yummy things:

2 cups biscuit mix (if you use Bisquick cut in some cold butter first)
3/4 c milk
1/4c shredded colby jack
1/4c shredded mozzarella + extra for topping
Mini Pepperonis (I didn't measure, I used what was left in the bag. maybe 1/3c?)
Pepper Jack (if you want a little spice, optional)
Grated Parmesan
Olive oil - for drizzling
Italian Seasoning

Pre-heat oven to 450. Yes, 450, these bake quickly.

In a large bowl, add biscuit mix, milk, cheeses, and pepperoni. Add red pepper flakes, or ground cayenne, if you want to add a little heat. Stir until combined, dough will be thick and sticky.

Drop onto greased cookie sheet (I line mine with foil first) and smooth down any pointy bits sticking up so they don't burn while baking.

Drizzle each biscuit with a little olive oil, top with a pinch of mozzarella, and then sprinkle with Italian Seasoning.

Bake at 450 for 8-10 mins.

Remove and let cool for a few minutes so you don't burn your tongue like the first bite of pizza, then enjoy!

I really like these, and thanks to the folks over at The Slow Roasted Italian for the inspiration!

~Mandy

Hello, My name is...

Hello!

I've decided I need a blog to keep track of all the good things I find on the internet and keep them in one place. Most of the time it is going to be recipes, other times DIY stuff, and sometimes coupons or good deals I find while perusing the web. I may even occasionally add my own creations, should I come up with something fantastic that my taste buds absolutely love. Like the red velvet cookie bars I made the other day. Yum.

I may also use this page as a brain dump for other types of entries that have nothing to do with shopping, cooking, or creating.

I may also use this page to talk about books/movies/music that move me.

There will likely also be pictures of cats, because I have 2 of them, and I find them to be completely adorable. Seriously.

Told you they were adorable.

So, why "Do we have eggs?" as the title? Well, I'm always asking if we have eggs (not that my husband would know), because I use them pretty much daily in my cooking. I also figured it was a good reflection of all the baking and shopping that will dominate this space.

So yeah, basically an internet junk drawer for all my recipes and gadgets to buy. :)

Coming soon!

In the weeks ahead, I will likely be sharing the various blogs I love to read, and recipes I've tried from those various blog sites, as well as any edits I made to those recipes to fit my taste buds, as well as my husband's.

I know for sure I will be making an enchilada recipe I found and have made many times, in different incarnations. As well as a slow cooker breakfast recipe that is a hit in this house. I'll also be making a staple dinner, that is a go-to for us on busy days tomorrow, which is my sausage and sweet potato skillet thingy (not really a recipe necessary for that one, but I'll make one up when I prepare it, with pictures!).

I'm also looking for good recipes for pork loin medallions and veal steak (because we got both on sale, and I need to prepare them soon)...

And then Sunday is junk food and party day (you know, for that BIG GAME we're not allowed to mention, because copyrights or something), and I will probably be preparing a 12lb picnic pork shoulder for a large group of folks. I'll likely just use a dry rub of brown sugar, paprika, red pepper, garlic and a little ground mustard and roast that sucker for 8-10hrs on 300. I've suggested that people bring their favorite sauce for the meat. I hope it's delicious.

That's all for now!
~Mandy