Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

     This has been a long-time favorite pasta of mine courtesy of the Cheesecake Factory, and I have discovered a recipe that satisfies my taste buds when I crave it!

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast
• 2 cups penne pasta
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3/4 cup peas
• 5 spears of asparagus
• 1/2 cup white onion
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese 
• 1 tortilla
• Cilantro
• 4 tablespoons of sauce from chipotles in adobo sauce

     In a Ziploc bag, add the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of honey, a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the chicken, and allow to marinate in the fridge (preferably for 24 hours).

     Cut the asparagus and place onto a baking pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Allow to cook in preheated oven. Once finished, remove from oven and place off to the side. Also, begin boiling some water for the penne pasta.

     Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, and add the marinated chicken. Allow about 8 minutes on each side on medium heat until golden brown. Remove the chicken onto a plate.

     Using the same frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the finely chopped garlic and onion. Sautee until soft. Add the remaining tablespoon of honey, peas, and peppers, and cook for about 2 minutes.

     Add about 4 tablespoons of the adobo sauce to the mixture or more depending on how spicy you like your pasta. 

     Also, incorporate the whipping cream along with the parmesan cheese and allow to simmer on low heat until thick.

     Add the cooked pasta and asparagus to the sauce.

     To top off the pasta chop some cilantro and tortilla strips for extra crunch and flavor.

ENJOY!


Recipe from Bumbleberry Notebook

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

 I recently discovered this rich, moist recipe in a magazine and it was a hit!

     Ingredients:

• 1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup cranberry sauce or jam

     Frosting (optional)

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Slivered almonds

     Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the yogurt, oil, eggs, sugar, and extracts in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, and slowly incorporate into the wet mixture. 

Place the batter into a greased pan of your choice (preferably a fluted tube pan). Drop the sauce or jam of your choice onto the batter, and bake for 25-40 minutes. 

Once cool, drizzle the frosting on top or dust with some powdered sugar. 

Pumpkin Bars

     This recipe is simple, rich, moist, and full of flavor. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser during the holidays!

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

• 1 stick butter (room temperature)
• 3 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

     Cream together the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin puree.

     In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

     Add the dry ingredients to the mixture slowly until everything is well combined.

     Place onto a flat baking pan (I recommend splitting the batter into two
     to make thinner bars.)

     Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

     I discovered this recipe last fall, and it is perfect for getting you into the autumn/holiday spirit!

Ingredients for cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

Ingredients for frosting:

• 4 oz of room temperature cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and begin by combining all the dried ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

     In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time and mix until fluffy. Then add the vanilla extract.

     Alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree in three additions.

     Place the muffin cups in a muffin tin, which I didn't have, and evenly fill with the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 18- 20 minutes.

     Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the frosting. Place the frosting in a Ziploc bag, and cut a hole in one corner, and frost the cupcakes.

Chocolate Brownies

     As I write this blog post today, another batch of these brownies is baking in the oven. It is the third batch I have made in the last three days! I could not wait to get back home from work today and make them again :) 

     I found the recipe through YouTube on CookWithApril and did not expect them to turn out as good as they did. These decadent brownies are extra chocolaty and moist!

     Give this recipe a try, and I promise you you'll be as addicted as I am!

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

     Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes in a 8x8 inch pan, and the brownies should be perfect. Enjoy!

Bosnian Green Bean Recipe (Mahune)

     This past Saturday at the farmer's market, I was mainly searching for some green beans; especially yellow green beans. Growing up, my mom made this Bosnian recipe (mahune), and as a child I was never really a fan. Now that I have gotten older, I have acquired a craving for all vegetables, and this is one of my favorite things to make for my fiance and I. 

     The fresher the green beans, the better this recipe will be. Unfortunately for me, I had a long work week and did not get a chance to make them until today. Nevertheless, they still ended up being delicious! 

• 1 pound yellow or green beans
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow or red onion
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Mediterranean seasoning

 Begin by washing and trimming the green beans, and leave them off to the side. Start caramelizing the onion by placing it in a dish with vegetable oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Then, add the paprika and stir quickly. Add 1 cup of chicken broth along with the beans and stir into the onions. Cover the dish and allow to cook on medium heat for about 2 hours. 

     In the meantime, place the large tomato in boiling water for about 10 minutes. When cool, remove the skin of the tomato, chop it, and fold into the green beans. Toss in the Mediterranean seasoning, and allow to cook for another 30 minutes. 

     When finished, remove from heat, and add in the sour cream and vinegar, and enjoy!!

Pasta a la Checca

     Pasta a la Checca is the simplest, most delicious pasta I have ever made! It is light, refreshing, colorful, and perfect for the summer. I discovered this recipe on BenjiManTV's vlog, and thought it wouldn't be flavorful since there are so few ingredients. Also, I'm not a fan of mint leaves, and I thought the basil would make the pasta taste very minty.

     I was completely surprised by the way this pasta turned out, and I absolutely love using basil now. I was at the local farmer's market this morning and picked up some fresh ingredients along with ciabatta bread, so I toasted some for a little crunch on the side. Give this recipe a try! I guarantee you will love it just as much as I do!

     This picture sums up basically everything you'll need for this recipe.

• 2 cups cherry tomatos, or 1 large tomato
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Linguine pasta, or any king you like
• Salt and Pepper
• Toasted ciabatta bread (optional)

     To begin, dice up the tomatoes and basil and crush the garlic cloves. Add this to a large plastic mixing bowl along with extra virgin olive oil. Allow this to marinate in the refrigerator 2-8 hours.

     When you're ready to serve, boil the pasta and begin toasting the ciabatta bread slices for about 15 minutes on 400 F. After the pasta is al dente, add the mozzarella, salt, and pepper, toss together and serve with the toasted bread! 

Four Bean Veggie Chili

     The other night, I came home from an evening shift at work and had a craving for chili. I decided to recreate a Bosnian dish similar to chili that my mom made growing up called grah. Grah is a pretty simple recipe as far as ingredients go; beans, one onion, some water, vegeta (a Bosnian spice) and paprika, but it takes a while to cook (3-4 hours). Yikes! That's way too long after coming home hungry at 11.30 at night. 

     

     I decided to rummage through my pantry for cans of beans, and sure enough I found them! I also had some vegetables in the fridge, and decided to start cooking! My fiance was in bed at this time, and since working my evening shifts messes with my circadian rhythm anyway, I decided this would also be a nice lunch for him to take to work. (It is midnight now as I'm writing this, so clearly my evening shifts take a toll on my sleeping schedule). I was worried that it wouldn't turn out to be very good, but my fiance called the next day and said it was the best chili he'd ever eaten! I dare you guys to give it a try too :)

• 1 yellow or red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 5 celery stalks
• 1 large red pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon Mediterranean seasoning, or any herb seasoning
• Salt and pepper  
• 1 avocado and croutons for garnish (optional)

     To begin, I added a chopped red onion to saute on medium high heat in a wide, large dish for about 2 minutes. I then added the chopped red pepper, celery, and garlic and allowed that to saute about 5 minutes.

     I then added the paprika, red pepper flakes, Mediterranean seasoning, salt, and pepper and allowed that to cook about a minute before adding one cup of chicken broth.

     After about 5 minutes, I added all the beans as well as the beans and tomato paste. I topped it all off with the remaining chicken broth and allowed it to simmer on medium high heat for about 30-45 minutes. 

     I garnished my dish with half an avocado, diced, and some croutons. The chili was phenomenal, and there was still a bit of a crunch from the celery and red pepper. If you don't like that and want it to be a little more tender, just cook for an additional hour.

     

A Simple Raspberry Cake

     I woke up early on this gloomy morning because I was so excited about making this cake, and partly because I wanted to finish it before my soon-to-be-husband came home early from work. We needed to be out the door as soon as he got home, since we were about to embark on a three-hour long road trip to visit our parents, and I wanted to share this cake with them :)

     I have the biggest sweet tooth so, naturally, my first blog post is a cake recipe. This is a simple cake I found on epicurious, and it is super easy to make. I doubled the ingredients because I was using a bigger baking dish and planned on sharing with family. Adding the berries (raspberries are my favorite) is what really transforms this recipe into a delectable masterpiece.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups raspberries, or any other berry would be delicious

     Begin by preheating the oven to 375 F and preparing the dry ingredients. Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and set it off to the side.

   
     Next, combine the wet ingredients in a deep mixing bowl. Whisk together the softened butter, sugar, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and eggs; adding one at a time.

     Once the wet ingredients have been mixed, slowly begin to incorporate the dry ingredients and thoroughly combine. Butter a baking dish, and add the batter. Sprinkle the raspberries on top and bake for 30-45 minutes.

 

     Voila! This is what the finished product looks like. The combination of the raspberries, which sank to the middle, and the buttermilk make this cake moist and flavorful.

     I hope you give this a try! I guarantee you will impress friends and family :)

     Thanks for reading!