So, I have been wanting to share an amazing Chicken Pot Pie recipe with you all. I recently participated in a chicken pot pie cook-off with one of my friends. We both made chicken pot pies and a group of friends had dinner with us to judge to recipes. Needless to say, I won and this is why.

Ina Garten’s Chicken Pot Pie recipe is delicious. While I normally cook pretty healthy food, there is always a little room for real comfort food like this. This is the perfect meal to cook for guests as you make it in individual ramekins. The recipe does take a little time but the results are worth it. Your guests are sure to be impressed!

 Enjoy!

This recipe comes from the May 2010 edition of Cooking Light. Just looking at the photo made me drool my mouth water. I finally cooked this risotto up a few weeks ago and it did not dissapoint.

Risotto is a fancy name for a rice dish. There are a lot of varieties (from seafood to butternut squash) and normally arborio rice is used. I have used arborio rice in the past which is great, but this time I used a whole grain rice mixture for this recipe. I also used all natual bacon from Trader Joe’s and because you cook the bacon first, there is no added oil or fat.

You may have heard that risotto is difficult to make or it takes to long. While I wouldn’t call this recipe difficult, it does take some time but it’s so worth it. Just turn on some good music and prepare to be in your kitchen for about 30-45 minutes. Between cutting vegetables and stirring the risotto often, this recipe does take a bit of patience. But, the recipe is very straightforward and it’s a great risotto to make for guests – they will  surely be impressed!

A warm risotto dish is great for the fall. Interested in other risotto recipes? Check out my Butternut Squash and Spinach Risotto here.

I followed the recipe as it was written except I used fresh blueberries. The muffins turned out really tasty and moist – especially when fresh. Even a few days later, the muffins were delicious heated in the microwave. Each muffin is under 200 calories so it’s a guilt-free treat or breakfast food.

I looking forward to including more fresh fruit in my recipes before the summer is over. This time of year is the best for fresh berries, you just can’t go wrong.

Enjoy!

The one nice thing about the summer is I’m able to catch up on reading books and magazines. I had a growing stack of cooking magazines that I was able to begin to tackle in Maine. It’s such a great way to relax – on the beach flipping through magazines.

I have been subscribing to Bon Appetit magazine for about a year now. While most of the recipes look delicious, I’m often intimidated by the number of ingredients or amount of preparation for some of the recipes. I’m always afraid that if I try a recipe, I won’t be eating dinner until 10 pm! That being said, I have a pile of Bon Appetit clippings of recipes I want to try…when I have the time.

In the June issue, a recipe caught my eye and I recently made it for dinner at my parents’ house. I’m a sucker for Asian-inspired dishes, including this one – Grilled Asian Chicken with Bok Choy, Shitake Mushrooms and Peppers. (Please note, the original recipe calls for radishes but I left them out. I also roasted the vegetables instead of grilling them). I especially like this dish because making the main dish prepares you to make a noodle dish with the leftovers…only if you don’t use up all the sauce like we did!  

This meal is pretty easy to prepare and takes three main steps – making the sauce, roasting the veggies and baking the chicken. When you’re done, you have a unique but delicious chicken and vegetable stirfry. This sauce was really tasty – lightly sweet with a lot of citrus and Asian flavors. The mix of vegetables added addiitonal flavor and textures and the chicken was moist. We used brown rice for this dish, instead of the recommended Asian rice.

I will definitely be making this one again and I suggest you try it too! It’s a light but filling dinner, great for a summer night.

Kabobs are so versatile – and such a summer staple. They are easy to prepare and grill – or roast, in my case. I do have an indoor grill but sometimes it’s just easier to use my oven. Call it laziness, I guess!

I created this recipe from one I read online a while ago. I had a bunch of the ingredients I remembered so I just went with it. This chicken turned out moist and the sweetness of the veggies paired perfectly.  Now we can have kabobs all year long!

Here’s my recipe:

Honey Soy Chicken Kabobs

Makes 4 kabobs

Ingredients:

2 – 3 chicken breasts, cut in cubes

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3 Tbsp. honey

3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 sweet onion, cubed

1 red pepper, cubed

Four wooden skewers

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Mix oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic and a little salt and pepper in a bowl to create marinade.
3. Put chopped chicken in a plastic Ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken.
4. Refrigerate chicken and marinade for at least 30 minutes.
5. When ready, add chicken and vegetables to wooden skewer – alternating between chicken, onion and red pepper.
6. Put skewers on baking sheet and roast in over for 12-15 minutes or until juices from chicken run clear.
7. Enjoy (with a side of brown rice)!

One exciting thing a few of my friends are doing this summer is splitting a CSA share from a local farm. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and, basically, we pay a fee to get a share of the farm’s vegetables each week from June to November. I really enjoy going to farmer’s markets and this takes things a step further. It’s been fun so far and has allowed me to try a few new recipes. I am a big proponent of supporting local farms and businesses plus, by being apart of the CSA, we are getting fresh organic vegetables soon after they are picked. Oh, and we get fresh, organic eggs, too! 

Included in our share last week was escarole - a hearty green and part of the endive family. Have you had escarole before? I had eaten it in a restaurant but I hadn’t cooked with escarole so I quickly went onto my favorite recipe website, allrecipes.com, to find the perfect dish. I immediately saw a recipe for Escarole and Beans which was simple and healthy so I gave it a whirl. I actually had all of the ingredients on hand, which is always a plus!

This recipe was really simple to put together and made plenty of leftovers. I would actually consider it a comfort food based on it’s thicker consistency so you can definitely enjoy this dish year round. Escarole and beans makes a fiberful side dish or a light dinner. I was expecting it to be basic in flavor but the garlic and red pepper flakes gave it a nice kick and I really enjoyed it. Leafy greens, such as escarole, are a great source of fiber as well as vitamin A and K. Who can’t use a little tasty nutritious dish in their life?

I’ll be back with another easy summer recipe in a few days so stay tuned!

If it’s hot where you are, like it is here in Boston, hope you’re staying cool. It’s supposed to be in the mid 90′s here tomorrow! Have  a great week!

Not only do I crave colder foods, I also want to maximize my time outdoors (especially after working in an air-conditioned office all day). Salads are a great option for this time of year and they are so versatile.

I wasn’t recently catching up on one of my favorite food magazines, Cooking Light, and found this recipe for Bell Pepper, Tomato and Cucumber Grilled Bread Salad. I immediately folded over the page. Not only is this dish easy, it’s light and involves using the grill (another summer favorite, although I use an indoor grill right now).  Another plus…it includes BREAD.

Just as I suspected, I loved this recipe. The veggies were delicious mixed with the light dressing and grilled bread (I used a wheat baguette). Mixing bread into a salad just makes life better. The recipe suggests adding grilled shrimp or chicken as an option. I had the salad vegetarian-style the first night and, for lunch the next day, I added tuna for a little protein. It was a great addition.

If you’re looking for a salad that’s a little different but still easy and delicious, give this one a try. The bread alone will win you over.

PS – Last year, I made a delicious Panzanella Caprese - another bread salad. With fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil and bread, it was a perfect Italian-style summer meal.

 This year’s theme was “Queen for a Day.” I decorated the table with colorful glitter, jewel rings and sparkly wands. Five moms were present (my mom, grandmother, two aunts and cousin) and they wore crowns for the day. It was a fun theme!

Now, onto the food. Last year, the menu consisted of both breakfast and lunch foods plus dessert. This year, I focused on mainly breakfast but didn’t forget about dessert.

My family members brought delicious additions for the brunch including fruit salsa, pecan rolls, fruit salad and pineapple upside-down cake. Here’s the menu, based on what I made:

Appetizers

Homemade Granola with Vanilla Yogurt (I’ve made this before – it’s so easy!)

Banana Nut Muffins (I replaced half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat and added chopped walnuts to the batter)

Entrees

Cheesy Crustless Quiche (I replaced the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour)

Hashbrown Casserole with Bacon, Onion and Cheese

Spiced Bacon Twists (I made these last year, they are always a hit!)

Scrambled Eggs from the Oven

Simple French Toast (See recipe below. Thanks, Sara!)

Dessert

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

The meal turned out really well. I was able to prepare the granola, muffins, quiche, hashbrown casserole and chocolate mousse ahead of time so I wasn’t stressed during the morning. All I had to do in the morning was cook the casserole, warm the quiche and make the bacon twists, scrambled eggs and French toast. Check out my great results!

Quiche. I’m not really a fan of quiche normally, but this quiche turned out great! It was a different texture than traditional quiche and was  full of savory flavors. I will definitely be making this quiche again, it’s a go-to recipe and has a nice wow factor. 

The hashbrown casserole also turned out exceptional, I really loved it. The flavors of the bacon, cheese and onion really blended well together and I enjoyed the bold flavors. Another go-to recipe for sure! It was just so tasty!

My friend Sara made a delicious French toast for her St. Patrick’s Day brunch and I knew I had to include it in this spread. It’s different from any other French toast I’ve had and when she said it was an easy recipe, I was even more excited to give it a whirl. Here’s the recipe:

French toast

1.5 c. brown sugar
1.5 stick butter
1.5 tsp. cinnamon  
1 large loaf of bread, crust removed and sliced in half                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 6 eggs, beaten                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2 c. milk (2%)

1/2 c. maple syrup

1. Melt brown sugar and butter on the stove. Mix with cinnamon and pour on the bottom of a 13″x9″ pan.

2. Layer bread in pan. Combine eggs and milk and pour over bread.

3. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

4. Pour maple syrup over French toast and serve.

The chocolate mousse was divine. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll enjoy this treat. Even for a chocolate lover like me, it was too rich for more than a few bites. Delicious. I made this mousse the night before our brunch and let it sit overnight. It turned out creamy and decadent. Topping it with whipped cream, a raspberry and a mint leaf gave it a restaurant-quality presentation.

I hope you try some of these recipes for an upcoming brunch, or nice weekend breakfast. You won’t be disappointed.

Have a great week!

Sorry, let’s back up. How was your weekend? I hope it was relaxing and fun. I was excited to put away my suitcase since I’m done traveling for a little while. It’s the simple things. Now, I just have laundry to tackle.

During the weekend, I went into Boston and got a new car! It was a fun few days. I even had a chance make a tasty pasta dish this weekend. As I mentioned earlier, it was easy to toss together and made leftovers for lunch! Perfect.

The recipe for Easy Penne and Tuna Salad came from the May 2010 issue of Cooking Light.  Meant to be served cold, it’s going to be a great addition to my summer meals. The dish is light with a nice touch of Mediterranean flavor (I love red peppers!). I used whole wheat pasta for extra fiber but followed the recipe as written otherwise. It was my first time using  tuna packed in oil and I really liked the moistness.

I honestly don’t know how people give up carbs as I swear I gravitate towards pasta and bread. I enjoy these types of foods so as long as I choose healthier options (whole grains) and limiting my portions (to one), I’m okay with it.

What’s your carb of choice?

Whole wheat pancakes can sometimes be dry and bland but this recipe is great for fluffy, moist pancakes. While I followed the recipe for Cooking Light’s Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes, I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. The cinnamon/vanilla flavor enhances these already-tasty pancakes. I served these pancakes with fresh fruit which was a perfect addition to my weekend meal.

This batter seems very versatile and could easy be used for making waffle or pancakes with chocolate chips or blueberries. I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of loving chocolate chip pancakes…it’s a real treat for breakfast. I say, the more chocolate chips, the better.

While I haven’t been cooking lately, I have been eating out quite a bit. Last week, in Chicago, I had one especially memorable meal at Ditka’s. I ordered an 8 oz. filet with blue cheese which was extremely moist and cooked perfectly. For dessert, I enjoyed decadent homemade ice cream. If you’re in Chicago or Pittsburg, I highly recommend it.

I won’t be cooking much this week but hope to get back to my old ways soon. With the spring here, we’re starting to see fresh vegetables in Boston. It will be great to buy local again soon! I’ll be back with another recipe ASAP.

Enjoy your week!