Greek Chicken Burgers with Tzatziki

This was my first time participating in the Recipe Swap on the cooking message board that I'm a part of.  This specific one was a Blogger's Choice theme.  This meant that you could choose any recipe from your assigned blog.  I was given Sarah's blog.  I've browsed her blog before but never saw this recipe.  My Husband loves Gyros and Tzatziki sauce so I was pretty sure that he'd love this.

I was right!  He loved it as did I.  All I was wondering after I ate dinner was, "what else can I put Tzatziki sauce on?"

The pitas that we bought were a bit difficult to work with so excuse the poor "shove-all-the-ingredients-in-the-pita" picture.  I made a few modifications just due to the time of the evening that we started dinner.  You can view the original recipe on her blog, the recipe and instructions below are what I used. 

I think we'll definitely make these again.  It was a quick, weeknight meal and it was something that we've never made at home.  My Husband and I made this meal together.  It was a good time cooking a meal together.  We have a tiny kitchen, but we made it work!

Greek Chicken Burgers with Tzatziki
Recipe from: A Taste of Home Cooking

For the Burgers:
1 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons onion, finely grated
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
salt & pepper, to taste

For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1 english cucumber
12 ounces plain Greek yofurt
2 cloves of garlic (I used jarred, minced garlic)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Splash of olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Squirt of fresh lemon juice

For serving:
Pita bread
Tomato, sliced
Red Onion, sliced

Combine the turkey, onion, oregano, salt & pepper in a bowl until well mixed.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and spread the mixture into the pan.  Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes.  The mixture isn't very thick so it doesn't take long.  Beware, when you take it out of the oven, it will have shrunk quite a bit.  There is also quite a bit of liquid in the pan, so be careful.

To make the tzatziki sauce, peel the cucumber.  Shred the cucumber and then squeeze the shreds in a paper towel to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible.  Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice.  Salt to taste.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.  You could refrigerate this overnight too.

Slice up your meat and serve in your pita bread with slices of tomato and red onion with a dollop of tzatziki.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Recently, I had about two dozen bananas in the freezer that I wanted to use up.  I made a couple loaves of my regular banana bread, but I wanted to make some muffins to have for Breakfasts during the week.  I found this recipe and it seemed perfect.

I really loved the crumble of this muffin.  It just added that something extra that I felt it needed. They were a very moist muffin and made for the perfect snack to eat on the way to work, or at night for a dessert!

I doubled the recipe because the original recipe says its yields only 10 muffins.

Banana Crumb Muffins
From: All Recipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

For the crumble:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375* degrees.  Lightly grease muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together the 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg  & melted butter.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.  Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and the cinnamon.  Cut in 1 tablespoon of cold butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle the topping over the muffins.

Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

Dr. Pepper Chicken Wings

My Husband and I both really enjoy chicken wings. I've never really made them at home before.  I came across Carrie's recipe and knew that we'd both enjoy it.  The most tedious part of this, for us, was the frying of the wings only because we used our small deep fryer so we could only fry a few at a time.

Dr. Pepper Chicken Wings

From: Carrie's Sweet Life



One large bag of chicken wings

3/4 cup flor

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspon garlic powder

1 can of Dr. Pepper

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Ketchup

1/2 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons butter

oil for frying

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture, coating completely.

Put the coated chicken in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This will help the coating adhere to the chicken during frying.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the can of Dr. Pepper to a boil, reduce heat and simmer briskly until reduced to about 1/8th the amount.

Add the brown sugar, ketchup, Tabasco and butter and simmer until a nice thick sauce. Set aside.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and fry in the oil until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. When all chicken is cooked, toss in the sauce until completely coated.

Serve & enjoy!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

I've made chicken pot pie before, but for Christmas this past year, my In-Laws gave me a set of these little ramekins.  I had some pie crust in the freezer so I decided this was the perfect opportunity to make some.  As you can see, it made a ton so we had leftovers for a few days afterwards. I would assume this recipe would make one whole pot pie if using a pie plate.

I've crossed out anything from her recipe that I did not use.


Chicken Pot Pie
From: Annie's Eats
Originally From: The Pastry Queen

Ingredients:

 For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large russett potato, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 purchased rotisserie chicken
2 Large chicken breasts, cut into cubes
 1-2 cups frozen peas and carrots

For the sauce:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crust:
16 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 large egg

Directions:
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potato to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken broth and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Mix in the cream (if using), the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well. Spoon the mixture into 6-8 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Black Forest Cupcakes

This is a recipe from the ever popular, Annie's Eats. I made them once for a meeting at work and everyone loved them!  One of my coworkers raved and raved about these to her family.  Because of the rave reviews, her Daughter-In-Law wanted me to make cupcakes for her Son's Graduation party.  So, I prepared myself to make an array of cupcakes.  She requested two dozen of these cupcakes.  I was happy to oblige.

The major change that I made was that I used this Chocolate Cupcake recipe instead of the one that she uses.  The reasons why I love this specific recipe is because it always is so moist and chocolate-y.

Other than that, I followed her recipe exactly.

Black Forest Cupcakes
From: Annie's Eats
Originally from: Martha Stewart Cupcakes
Frosting adapted from: Wilton

For the cherry filling:
16oz frozen cherries, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
6 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the garnish:
Chocolate shavings

To make the filling, drain the thawed berries, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water so that the total liquid equals 1¼ cups. Add the liquid to a medium saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue whisking so no lumps form. Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Fold in the drained cherries with a spatula. Stir in the kirsch, if using. Cover and chill until ready to use. (The filling will continue to thicken as it chills.)

To fill the cupcakes, use the cone method to remove a portion from the center of each cupcake. Fill each with a spoonful of the cherry filling.

To make the whipped cream frosting, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating on medium-low speed, slowly increasing as the cream begins to thicken up to medium-high speed. While the cream is being whipped, gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar a spoonful at a time. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. (Be careful not to overbeat!) Fold in the vanilla extract.

Frost the filled cupcakes with the whipped cream. Garnish as desired with cherries and chocolate shavings. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberries & Cream Pie

I first made this pie about two years ago.  My Husband has been begging for one ever since.  I am not sure why I haven't made it for him since then, it's super easy and very delicious.

The first time that I made this I think I used a graham cracker crust. However, this time I used the pie crust that it calls for and I thikn it definitely needs the pie crust. 

Also, the recipe that I followed says to leave the strawberries whole but I don't think that it looks very attractive that way so I sliced up my strawberries.  As I was slicing the strawberries, I thought about layering the cream mixture on top of the pie crust, then some sliced strawberries and then more cream, repeat.  But by the time I assembled the pie, I forgot about that.

I made this pie and gave my Husband a Father-To-Be Father's Day card as his Father's Day presents. He was a happy man!  Since it makes two pies, we brought one up to my Father-In-Law as well.  I was going to bring it to my Parents house for Father's Day but I had some leftover cupcakes from something else that I brought down there.

I definitely plan on making this again, perhaps I'll make it annually for Father's Day for him.

Strawberries & Cream Pie

From: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Originally from: Pillsbury's Complete Cookbook



Serves 8-10

1 cup cold heavy cream, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) sugar
¼ to ½ teaspoon almond extract
1 pie crust for a 1-crust pie, completely baked and cooled
2 pints fresh whole strawberries, hulled
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
I melted some chocolate almond bark that I had leftover and drizzled that on the pie

1. In a medium bowl (or the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of the cream on medium speed. When the cream is frothy, increase the speed to high and whip until the cream holds firm peaks.

2. In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese on medium speed until it’s soft and creamy. Add the sugar and extract and continue beating until combined.

3. Fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese to lighten the mixture, then add the remaining cream and continue folding until it’s incorporated. Evenly spread the cream mixture in the pie crust. Arrange the strawberries over the filling.

4. Melt the chocolate with the remaining 1 tablespoon cream over very low heat, stirring constantly, or in the microwave on medium power, or in a double boiler. Drizzle the chocolate over the strawberries. Refrigerate the pie until set, about 1 hour.

My version of a Green Monster Smoothie!!

This afternoon I was going to have some fruit as a snack.  I had mangoes, bananas & apples available.  I didn't feel like eating them seperate (aka: cut up in a bowl) so I decided to make a smoothie out of it.

There is no real recipe to this, smoothies are very versatile and you can make them as you wish with whatever ingredients you want.

I cut up a mango, added a banana and a couple splashes of orange juice.  Mixed it all up in my Magic Bullet and then added the last of the spinach we had in the refrigerator to get a dose of veggies! :)

Matt came home from work and said "What the heck is that!" I made him try it and he actually liked it. I've purchased those frozen smoothie packs from the grocery store before, but I like this because I know exactly what is in it.  No added sugars, preservatives or anything.  Just fruit & a little juice.

I definitely want to make more smoothies for breakfasts, snacks or even as desserts!

Pantry Organization!

In the last few months, we revamped our downstairs closet/pantry.  We had a nice closet area under our stairs but it wasn't really functional for hanging coats and such.  Our kitchen also lacks some functional cupboard space so I decided to make the closet work for us!  We had a bookcase in there that we were using as a pantry but it was small and unorganized.

So, I was at Target one day with my Mom and we picked up a shelving system on sale.  I'd been eyeing it up for awhile and then when it was on sale, I finally made my purchase!

Fast forward a couple of days and we've got the shelving system all set up.  I love having more storage options and we can even store our garbage bags, paper towels and some larger cooking items like our pizza oven in there.

We've now come to the point where our pantry is chock full and the organization seems to be lacking. Since I am a Thirty-One consultant, I decided to use some of our products to help me spruce things up.  So far, I only have one organized area but I plan to get many, many more so that I have a complete & fully stocked pantry!

I purchased a Square Utility Tote in Lotsa Dots and had it embroidered in purple font, style 13. I then purchased two Littles Carry-All Caddys to put inside.  The tote will actually fit four, I just need to get a couple more!

I plan to put some of my small baking items in the Littles Carry-All Caddys.  I'm thinking about putting my piping bags in one of the Littles, my cupcake wrappers & decorations in another, my food colorings in another and I'm undecided so far on the fourth.  I'll be sure to update when I figure it out!

My next purchase will be more Square Utility Totes and I plan to label one "snacks" for all those breakfast bars, granola bars etc.  I am thinking about one that says "veggies" and one that says "fruits" as well for all of those canned items.  I'll always know when I need to purchase more or when I've got plenty based on how full my tote is!

If you're unfamiliar with Thirty-One, here are a few facts!

Thirty-One is more than just a company. We are people who believe in celebrating, encouraging and rewarding others for who they are. Through God’s strength, we’ve built a family of individuals who feel women deserve to treat themselves and those around them to something special. Our commitment is to provide women with a fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding experience one person at a time.    -Source

Thirty-One offers purses, accessories, storage organizers (like I'm using) and more!  There really is something for everyone and our products make great gifts!

Don't know a Thirty-One consultant in your area?  We can do a virtual party and you'll get free products, half price products and Host Exclusive products just for hosting.  As host, all you need to do is advertise your party to friends & family using the link I provide you.  Super easy!

ALL of the free, discounted and exclusive products you could get for having a $1,200 show!!

How cute is this outfit paired with our Cindy Tote in Black Parisian Pop?

Eggs for breakfast sandwiches

Thank you Pinterest! (Click that link to follow my boards)

I saw this floating around on Pinterest awhile back and finally decided that I needed to make some eggs for quick and easy breakfast sandwiches.  I definitely need to eat breakfast in the mornings and I need something substantial.  I can't just have a yogurt or apple or something, I'd be hungry a half hour after eating it!

This is the perfect solution.  The eggs are ready to go each morning and I just need to grab an english muffin, a slice of cheese and I'm out the door.  I usually eat at work so I bring all of my supplies to work and am able to make a hearty, tasty breakfast at work!

As you can see, I put some spinach in a few of the egg wells. It was a little tricky getting the spinach to stay under the egg, so that it would cook IN the egg and not float to the top.  It took a little maneuvering with a fork but it all worked!

Spray your muffin pan with some non-stick cooking spray. Crack one egg into each well.  Sprinkle the eggs with a little salt & pepper or whatever seasonings that you'd like.  Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.  You could cook them for a bit less if you wanted a runny yolk.  However, I wanted to be sure that the eggs were fully cooked.

Store your cooked eggs in a tupperware container in the refrigerator for about a week.  Use your judgement though.  If they look/smell bad, I wouldn't eat them. I made a dozen of these, so that lasted my Husband and I only 6 days, which was perfect for our work week.

Taco Salads with Rice

Here's a great recipe for the upcoming Cinco de Mayo weekend or any large gathering!  You can make this to feed two people, five people or 25 people!  Make a big batch for your next tailgate party, Birthday or even those "Quick! Company is coming!" situations.

The idea is super simple and the preparation is even easier.  You can tailor this to your personal taste as well.  Don't like white rice?  Skip it.  Want spicy salsa? Use it.  Want to use Doritos instead of Fritos? Go for it.

The recipe below is what we used for the ones I made.  We made enough so that we had leftovers for the next day.

Taco Salads with Rice
AKC original recipe
Ingredients:
1 lb cooked, drained ground beef
4 servings of cooked instant white rice
Fritos chips

Your favorite toppings such as:
Shredded Lettuce
Shredded Cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Cook your ground beef and drain when cooked.  While the ground beef is browning, cook your rice. When both your ground beef and rice are cooked, assemble your plate (or bowl if you choose!)  I started with rice, added some fritos, ground beef and then my lettuce, cheese and sour cream.

Mix it all up, add some salsa and enjoy!!

It's really silly to have a recipe for this since it's SO easy.  It's really all about what you want on your taco salad and how you want to prepare it.