White Bean Dip

1 Can of Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed, 3 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped, 2 1/2 TBSP lemon juice, 1/3 cup oregano oil, Salt to taste. Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Serve with pita chips or bread.

Crockpot Pesto Ranch Chicken

What in the world did I do before Pinterest???  I have no clue!  Well, we are in a little bit of a transition phase.  We are moving into our new house when it closes in a few weeks but until then, we are bunking with some friends in their basement.  My cooking is quite limited because of this so I am relying on lots of crockpot meals.  We have a kitchen in the basement but no stove so the crockpot is coming in handy.  I found this yummy dish the other day and decided to give it a whirl.  I changed what I found up a little bit and here is the recipe:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

6 ounce jar of pesto

1 package Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup chicken broth

Mozzarella Slices

Directions:

Turn crock pot to high setting. Place chicken thighs in crockpot.  Mix pesto, ranch mix and chicken broth together and pour onto chicken.  Close with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, place cheese slices onto the thighs.  Enjoy!

Easy Crockpot Roast Beef

I love anything easy to fix.  I throw everything into my crock pot first thing in the morning and by dinnertime VOILA..I have a oh so yummy dinner!!

Ingredients:

Chuck Roast

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 packet zesty italian dressing mix

1 packet ranch dressing mix

Put desired vegetables on bottom of crock pot.  I use potatoes and carrots. Place roast on top of vegetables.  Mix all 3 packets with 1 cup of water and pour on top of roast.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Blueberry Basil Balsamic Mozzarella Crisps

I came across these beauties when I was browsing through Pinterest.  We had just picked a ton of blueberries and I was looking for anything to make with them.  OMG these are AHHHHmazing!!  I think I ate every last one of them.  Trust me....if you like blueberries you will LOVE this dish!! 

Ingredients

1 pint blueberries

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

1 1/2 tablespoon canned coconut milk or heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/2 of a whole grain baguette, sliced into 12 half inch thick slices

salt and pepper, for sprinkling

fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

1.Preheat your grill to high heat or preheat your oven to 400° degrees F.

2.In a medium saucepan, cook the blueberries, honey, balsamic vinegar and the lemon juice over high heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the blueberries burst, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3.While the blueberries cook mix together the mozzarella cheese, coconut milk or heavy cream and the 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill or toast the baguette slices in the oven on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes flip and top with a dollop of the cheese/milk/olive oil mixture and grill or bake until the cheese melts, about three minutes.

4.Immediately top with the blueberries and a sprinkle of fresh basil and a grate of lemon zest if desired.

Holy Yum Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest and OMG it is Holy Yum just like it's title!  My family couldn't get enough of it!!  I will be making this dish over and over again!!!

Holy Yum Chicken

SaveYield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (most of the fat cut and discarded)



1/2 cup Dijon mustard (must be Dijon mustard, no substitutes)



1/4 cup pure maple syrup (again, no substitutes. No fake Aunt Jemima stuff)



1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar



1/4 tsp. salt



1/4 tsp. ground black pepper



1 tbsp. cornstarch



2 tsp. fresh rosemary for garnish



Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 8×8″ oven-proof pan with 2 layers of tin foil.

2.In small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

3.Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it gets all coated.

4.Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

5.Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Do NOT discard the liquid.

6.Immediately after plating chicken, whisk in the 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into the liquid in the pan. You’ll create a nice, thick sauce to drizzle over your chicken. You need to do cornstarch mixing immediately because the liquid needs to be hot in order for it to thicken properly. If it’s still not thickening after 1 tbsp., you can add a little more.

7.Sprinkle rosemary on top before serving.

8.Serve with rice or potatoes or vegetables.

Note: If you like things more tangy, I would add 2 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar instead of 1 tbsp. I did this the second time I made this and it was a nice tangy kick with the sweetness that subdued it. If you like things on the sweeter side, keep it to 1 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar. Regardless, taste the sauce after mixing it together and adjust to taste

Chicken Pot Pie

This is without a doubt one of my comfort foods!!  I have a couple of ways I prepare it but if you have the time, this is my favorite!!  It's from Pioneer Woman and it's delicous!!!  My kids love it too!  It takes a little bit to prepare but trust me it's worth it!  Enjoy!


Chicken Pot Pie



1 pie crust (1/2 of Perfect Pie Crust recipe)

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup finely diced carrot

1/2 cup finely diced celery

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breasts cooked
1/4 cup flour

2 to 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (more if needed!)

splash of white wine (optional)

3/4 cup heavy cream

Frozen peas (optional)

Fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.



Melt butter in a skillet or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until translucent (a couple of minutes.)

Add chicken and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in chicken broth, stirring constantly. Splash in wine (you can leave this out if you’d like.) Pour in cream. (May add frozen peas at this point if you’d like.)

Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not underseason), and fresh or dried thyme to taste. Do one final taste at the end and add what it needs.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan.

Roll out crust so that it’s about 1 inch larger than the pan you’re using.

Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until very golden and bubbly and the crust is done.

Allow to cool for a little bit before serving.  You can also subsitute leftover turkey instead of chicken breasts!


Delicious!


Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients


■1-1/2 cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)

■3 cups All-purpose Flour

■1 whole Egg

■5 Tablespoons Cold Water

■1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

■1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.



Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)



When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.



With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Pasta is my comfort food.  My kids love it as much as I do so needless to say I fix it quite often.  This dish is so easy and you can add whatever strikes your fancy to the pasta.  You can choose to do seafood or a different vegetable.  Here is just one of the ways I make this oh so easy dish!

1 Lb cooked Pasta (I use Penne)
2-3 garlic cloves pressed
1 small onion finely chopped
1 to 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup of broccoli florets
2 TBS butter or margerine
2 chicken breasts cooked and cubed

Melt butter in skillet.  Add garlic and onion until onion is translucent.  Pour wine in and let it evaporate (about 45 seconds) Next pour in the heavy cream.  When it heats up, add parmesan cheese and let it melt.  Then pour in your chicken and broccoli and mix all together.  Pour into pasta and toss together.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.