Tinbucktuna Stovetop Casserole

From my very favorite cookbook: Eat, Shrink and Be Merry by Janet & Greta Podleski. This tuna casserole packs great nutrition and is SUPER easy to make. Easy weeknight dinner...

Ingredients

8 oz (227 g) uncooked rotini pasta
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (I used a California blend of broccoli, cauliflower ans carrots)
1 tbsp of butter or margarine
1 cup of diced onion
1 tsp of minced garlic 
1 can (10oz/284 ml) condensed, reduced fat cream of broccoli soup, undiluted
3/4 cup of packed shredded light old cheddar cheese 
1/4 cup of light sour cream
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp minced fresh dill or fresh basil leaves, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 tsp of dry mustard powder 
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cans (6oz/170g each) chuck light tuna in water, drained

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding frozen vegetables to the boiling water for the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta and vegetables.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. In a large, non-stick pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook and stir until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add soup, shredded cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, dill, mustard powder and black pepper. Mix well and cook until sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta, vegetables, and tuna. Serve hot.

Optional: I decided to add some extra cheese and broil it before serving, what a delight! This dish will be made over and over again...So easy and tasty!

Tuna-licious!

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

This is my second attempt at peanut butter-chocolate cupcakes.... But what makes these cupcakes amazing is their peanut butter filling... Very YUMMY! With the whole day off and no intentions of baking cupcakes today --- These lovely creations were born! Delicious, delicious, delicious! The cupcake recipe is from a new cookbook I picked up last night at Chapters called Martha Stewart's Cupcakes by Martha Stewart. They are perfect just the way they are... No icing because they stand tall all on their own!

Ingredients for the Cupcakes 

2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter 
4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup of granulated sugar 
3 large eggs 
2 tsp of pure vanilla extract 

Peanut-Butter Filling -
4 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar 
3/4 cup of smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water (or use a double boiler); stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.

Stir all ingredients for the peanut butter filling until smooth.

Spoon 2 tbsp of chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tbsp of peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tbsp of batter, and top with one tsp of filling. Swirl top of the cupcake batter and filling with a toothpick.

Bake, rotating half way through, for about 40 minutes. Transfer tin to wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Goodness!

Nanaimo Bars - Delicious!

There's just something about Nanaimo Bars... You can't eat just one! I have been wanting to make these bars ever since I came across the recipe. Although their presentation did not turn out quite as I had anticipated, the taste was decadent and delicious. These bars had just the right amount of coconut flavor and the crushed walnuts add that little extra to the bottom layer.

 

Ingredients 

Bottom Layer - 
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup of white sugar 
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa 
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 cup of sweetened coconut 
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts


Middle Layer - 
1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 - 3 tbsp of milk 
2 tbsp of vanilla pudding powder
1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 cups of confectioners sugar 


Top Layer - 
4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp of unsalted butter

Butter or spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with a non stick vegetable spray (or PAM). 

Bottom Layer: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut and chopped walnuts. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour). 

Middle Layer: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

Top Layer: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or using a double boiler), melt the chocolate and butter. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the filling and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

Sweet Treat Indeed :)

Ham and Potato Soup

I will be the first to admit that I am a HUGE skeptic of potato soup. My boyfriend has been asking for potato soup for some time now and I finally gave in. This recipe yields 8 servings and is perfect for a cold winter day like today!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups of peeled and diced potatoes 
1/3 cup of diced celery
1/3 cup of chopped onion 
1/2 cup of red pepper
3/4 cup of diced cooked ham 
3 1/4 cups of water 
2 tbsp of chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp of salt, or to taste
1 tsp of ground black pepper
5 tbsp of butter
5 tbsp of flour
2 cups of milk 
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Optional toppings: Cheddar Cheese, Green Onion & Bacon pieces

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, red pepper, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt & pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk as to not allow lumps to form until all the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately with desired optional toppings.

Amazing Potato Deliciousness!

Apple Strudel Muffins!

Using up the extra large bag of Macintosh apples from Costco has been much harder than I anticipated... In an effort to use some of these delicious apples up, I found this yummy sounding muffin recipe! This recipe far surpassed my expectations and turned out really great... Not to mention the incredibly delicious aroma they leave in the house, YUM! This recipe yields a batch of 12 muffins, just the right amount!

Ingredients 

2 cups of flour 
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of butter, room temperature 
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs 
1-1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of chopped apples (I used 2 large MacIntosh apples, yielded slightly more than a cup and a half)

1/3 cup of packed brown sugar 
1 tbsp of flour
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon 
1 tbsp of cold butter, cut up into little morsels

Preheat the oven to 375F. Insert muffin papers into muffin pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla/ Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture is like course crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixtures in muffin pan.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack. Pleasant Surprise!

Super Duper Slow-Cooker Chunky Chicken Chili

I love trying new chili recipes... I'm not sure what it is about chili in the winter that draws me in but it's a good thing it does. This one was SUPER easy and tasted quite delicious. The heat factor comes from the type of Salsa you choose to use and the amount of chili powder you toss in. In my case, it was medium salsa and a little extra chili powder...What can I say, I like to spice it up a little. If you don't have a slow cooker...BUY ONE! It'll save your life on those busy days when you just don't have time to make a good meal.

 

Ingredients

2 cans (19oz/540ml each) of mixed beans, rinsed. (I chose red kidney beans and black beans simply because that's what was in the pantry.)  

2 cups of Salsa (I used Tostitos Medium Salsa, but if you don't like a little spice then mild would be the way to go) 

1 can (14oz/398ml) no-salt added tomato sauce
2 tbsp. of chili powder (I added a little extra because I like a little spice in my life)
2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks/cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 can of corn 

Optional toppings: 
Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onion

Combine the first four ingredients in the slow cooker; top with chicken, onions and corn. Do not stir. Cover with lid. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Stir just before serving and serve with desired optional toppings. Delish!

Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezy

Eat, Shrink & Be Merry: Dilly Beloved Chicken

I love dill! Anything & everything dill is always delicious! One of my favorite cookbooks is Eat, Shrink & Be Merry by Janet & Greta Podleski. Not only is this cookbook visually awesome, it's also super simple & includes all nutritional information... Big bonus!

Ingredients: 

Marinade:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp of grainy Dijon mustard
2 tbsp of minced fresh dill (YUM!)
2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice (Don't forget to zest the lemon before squeezing, makes life easier!)
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp of grated lemon zest
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/4 tsp each of salt & pepper

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

• Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken breast in a baking dish just large enough to hold the chicken breasts, pour the marinade over the chicken and ensure they are well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. 
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center 
• Spoon sauce from the bottom of the pan over chicken and serve immediately. 

I serve these up with some mini roasted potatoes sprinkled with dill (Cut the potatoes in half, toss in olive oil, salt and fresh cut dill & bake) and baby carrots! Delish dinner idea for a Tuesday night... 

C'est Savoureux!