Chicken, Mushroom, & Spinach Quesadilla

Here's my latest fave!

You'll need:

Tortillas

Chicken, cooked and shredded

Sliced mushrooms

Spinach

Shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack!)

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Begin by heating a small skillet on medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil cooking spray.

Build your quesadilla by layering cheese, chicken, veggies, and more cheese. The cheese on both sides helps to hold the quesadilla together.

Place in skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. I like to place a small plate on top as a weight to flatten everything together. 

Flip over when golden brown, and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

 Move to cutting board to cut in quarters, and serve!

Enjoy!

Super Bowl recipes

I love watching football, but if Baylor isn't playing, I tend to care more about the food than the game. Here are some quick and crowd-friendly recipes for your Super Bowl party!

Jalapeño Poppers

Nutella Rice Krispy Treats

Nutella Puppy Chow

Pizza Scrolls

Chicken Nachos

Love football and love football-friendly snacks! Enjoy!

Halloween Trail Mix

My wonderful roommate, Mary Alice, made this festive little mix today, so this her "cooking" debut on my blog! She was pretty excited when I told her she'd be getting credit for this post. :) Mary Alice's mom always whips this up around this time of year, so MA recreated it for us, and let me tell you - it's addicting.  Sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy - all mixed into one snack.


You'll need:
Peanuts (salted)
Candy Corn
M&Ms (If you can find orange and black M&Ms, use those!)
Marshmallows


There are no rules here... Just make up your own proportions and combine together!

Sending you love from my kitchen - just in time for Halloween!

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

What's the next best thing to going to a Baylor football game? Going to a Baylor football watch party with yummy football snacks!! Here's my new favorite game day appetizer. These little guys encompass all that is wonderful about football season... bacon, cheese, spiciness... and don't forget the ranch for dipping!

You'll need:

6 large jalapeños

6 oz. cream cheese (about 3/4 of an 8 oz. block)

12 slices of bacon

Olive oil cooking spray

Ranch, for dipping

Wash the peppers, and start preparing them by cutting off the stems and slicing them lengthwise.

Scrape out the seeds, veins, and all that junk.

Cut each half in half again so that each jalapeño creates 4 mini boats.

Continue until you have 24 lovely little poppers.

Slice the cream cheese into tiny rectangles that will fit the jalapeño quarters.

Cut the 12 slices of bacon in half, and wrap each half-slice around a mini-popper.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and line with poppers.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes and transfer to serving dish. 

Let them cool a bit before diving in.

Crsipy bacon, spicy jalapeño, and creamy cheese... almost ready for football!

Bacon-flavored ranch for dipping. Okay, now I'm ready.

Enjoy and Sic 'Em.

Balsamic Chicken & Tortellini Salad

This recipe is another steal from Multiply Delicious. All I changed were the proportions of the ingredients because, to be honest, I really despise exact measurements.  With the spinach, for example, I'd so much rather just grab a gigantic fistful of it and let that be my form of measurement... That's acceptable, right?

This pasta is phenomenal. I made it once for a baby shower to go with a few other appetizers, and I recently made it as a main dish for an Italian-themed potluck dinner.  It's served cold, and the dressing keeps the dish light and healthy without compromising the flavor. Feel free to play around with the proportions yourself!

You'll need:
2 lbs. tortellini (from the frozen food aisle, pre-cooked)
3 cups shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
2 fistfuls spinach
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

First, cook the tortellini. Drain and set aside.

Shred chicken, cut tomatoes, dice pepper, and chop basil.

Whisk together the balsamic and mustard with a fork.

Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top.

Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Add your fistfuls of spinach.

Toss together!

I like to refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving to let all the flavors marinate together.  Enjoy!

Sending you love from my kitchen.

Chicken & Black Bean Nachos

February was a slow month for updating my food blog.  With mid-terms, work, and fun weekend guests,  I just haven't had any spare time.  March will (hopefully) be different!  I have a lot of recipes and pictures saved, so get ready!

Here are a few things that have happened while I've been neglecting this blog:

• I catered appetizers for a baby shower last Sunday!  This was my first "catering gig," and it was so much fun cooking for 40 people!  Unfortunately, I was scrambling to get everything done in time and forgot to take pictures, but I made asparagus wrapped in prosciutto; phyllo shells filled with brie and raspberry or apricot jam; and balsamic chicken and tortellini pasta salad.  I heard afterward that the food was a hit - thank goodness! 
• I got asked to recreate this red velvet cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle.  And it was awesoooome.  Here's what mine looked like:

• My blog surpassed 1,000 hits!  (1,043 as of today!)  How exciting is this?!?  Obviously it's not a thousand different people, but I'm still pretty ecstatic. :)
• I also survived mid-terms, and my cohort has started the countdown to graduation... about 72 days, and even less until we're done with class!

Okay, let me tell you about this easy and quick dish!  (I borrowed this idea from Two Peas and Their Pod, so credit goes to those pros.)  I'm not giving you any exact measurements because it's more fun to add ingredients as you see fit.

You'll need:

Tortilla chips

Chicken, cooked and shredded

Diced green chiles

Black beans from a can, drained and rinsed

Cheese, shredded (I used medium cheddar and monterey jack)

Guacamole ( I made my own, but you can use store-bought.)

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

I seasoned my chicken with garlic salt, black pepper, and just a pinch of saffron... my mom's typical seasoning for poultry.  I haven't seen anyone else do it, but man, it works.  

Sauté in olive oil (about 7 minutes on each side depending on thickness of chicken) until cooked all the way through.  Mmmm just wait until you smell this...

In the meantime, shred the cheeses, rinse the black beans, and pop open your can of chiles.

When the chicken is done cooking, shred it with a fork.

Now, all there's left to do is pile on the toppings and bake.  I used a small glass dish to cook my nachos, but you could also use a baking sheet.

First pile on some cheese and black beans.

Then, add the chicken, chiles, and more cheese. :)

Pop it in the oven for 5 minutes... that's right, just 5 minutes will do the trick!

Top with guac, and devour.  So delicious!

Sending you love from my kitchen.