Hi everyone! I can't believe my last post was back in January. Thanks to my awesome husband, I now have a new beautiful kitchen to cook in!!! With the fall season upon us, I wanted to share a delicious recipe for a chilly fall day. I made this chicken chili tonight for dinner with a few additions. I got the recipe from the new issue of Cooking Light Magazine (October 2015). I highly recommend it for an easy, healthy dinner. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
  
• about 2 tablespoons minced garlic( I didn't measure, just minced up a couple of cloves)
  
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
  
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper (I took out the seeds)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (I just used an Italian seasoning blend I had on hand)
  
• a pinch of crushed red pepper
  
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces) cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
  
• 3 cups shredded skinless rotisserie chicken breast
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• sour cream and cheddar cheese to top the chili
  
• homemade tortilla chips (see recipe below)
  

1. Heat a large dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add the squash, saute about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. *Make sure you stir the squash so it doesn't burn! Then remove squash from pan and set aside.
   
2. Add the remaining oil to pan and saute your garlic, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes for about 6 minutes or until tender.
   
3. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the yummy bits up. This add more flavor! Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered for roughly 10 minutes.
   
4. Using a fork, mash up 1 cup of the beans in a bowl. Then add the mashed beans, remaining whole beans, and squash. Cook for another few minutes.
   
5. Add the shredded chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
6. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve with homemade corn tortilla chips.
   

• To make the tortilla chips stack about 8 corn tortillas on top of each other. Then cut into 8 wedges. Spread out the corn tortilla wedges on a large cookie sheet. Spray both sides with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Bake at 375 for roughly 10-15 minutes until crispy. *When you bake them make sure they don't overlap so each one gets nice and crispy!
  

Enjoy!

    Time for something a bit more healthy! This shrimp cake recipe is from the most recent issue of The Food Network Magazine (October, 2014). If you're like me, shrimp are a go to seafood item! I usually make things like roasted shrimp, shrimp scampi, or shrimp quesadillas, but wanted to try something new with them. While there are several steps to this recipe, they turned out great and are delicious! The dipping sauce just makes it even better. I served them with roasted asparagus and orzo pasta. You could also make them mini size and serve them as an appetizer, or put them on a kaiser roll for a sandwich! Check out the recipe.



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 scallion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (zest the lemon before you squeeze juice for dip)
• vegetable oil (coat the skillet about 1/4 inch)
  

Directions:

In a food processor, puree the mayo, parsley, scallion, garlic clove, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice from about half a lemon), a pinch of salt and pepper. Put in a bowl. Add half of the shrimp to the food processor and pulse until it forms a thick paste. Add the rest of the shrimp, 1/2 cup panko (I used a bit more), 2 tablespoons of the prepared scallion dip, the egg, and lemon zest. Pulse until mixture is still a bit chunky. Put a bit of oil on your hands to help you form the patties, that way they don't stick. Form about 8 shrimp cakes and place on baking sheet. Put them in the freezer for about 5 minutes to set. Using the rest of the panko, again I used more than it called for, coat the shrimp cakes. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp cakes about 3-4 minutes per side (make sure they are golden brown on each side). Serve with the scallion dipping sauce.




   

    Now for the main dish! These crock-pot beef sandwiches are great for football Sundays or an easy weeknight dinner. You can serve the beef on rolls, or on top of mashed potatoes. The ingredient list may sound a bit odd, but I promise once they all cook together in the crock-pot, it turns into a delicious sauce! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 pound beef chuck roast
• 1 bottle of ketchup (about 15 ounces)
  
• 1 can of Coke (12 ounces)
  
• 1 packet of onion dip mix (powder)
  
• Salt and pepper for seasoning meat
• 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch, equal amounts water
  
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
  
• A few tablespoons horseradish
• Provolone cheese, sliced
• Rolls

Directions:

1. Spray the crock-pot with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Season the beef chuck with salt and pepper, then put in crock-pot.
3. Pour the the ketchup, coke, and onion dip powder packet over the meat.
4. Cook the meat on low for 6-8 hours.
5. Shred the meat inside the crock-pot using two forks.
6. This step is optional, but I like to thicken the sauce by making a slurry. Just mix together 1 or 2 tablespoons cornstarch to equal parts water. Pour into the crock-pot and turn crock-pot back on for about ten minutes so the sauce thickens up.
7. Mix together mayo and horseradish in bowl.
8. To assemble the sandwiches, place several slices of cheese on roll, and top with meat and horseradish sauce. Enjoy!


   

    Now that the fall and football season are upon us, it's time for some comforting crock-pot food and yummy dips. These two recipes aren't necessarily the most healthy, but if you're like me, I like to indulge on the weekends. Weekdays are for eating healthy...weekends on the other hand, football food and some beer please! This Sunday I tried a delicious beer and cheese dip, and served it with pretzel nuggets. It was so yummy! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• Roughly 1/2 cup dark beer
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 Dashes of hot sauce
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
    Melt the butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until combined, about two minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and beer, and bring to simmer. Add the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Whisk until sauce thickens (a few minutes). Turn heat down to low, and slowly mix in the cheddar cheese. Whisk until smooth. Serve with pretzel nuggets, bread cubes, or chips. The dip makes about one cup.

   
  

    These yummy finger foods are one of my favorite appetizers to make! I'm pretty sure anything wrapped with salty prosciutto is delicious:) I make these for every family get together or if I'm entertaining at the house. With only three ingredients, they are so simple to make, and everyone loves them! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Asparagus (ends cut off and rinsed)
• Plain cream cheese
• Thinly sliced prosciutto

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lay a slice of prosciutto on cutting board. Using a knife, spread a thin layer of cream cheese on top.
   
3. Depending on the size of the asparagus, take either one or two spears and put them at one end of the prosciutto slice.
4. Roll it up and place on ungreased baking sheet.
5. Continue the above steps until you've made as many as you want.
6. Bake them for about 15 minutes, or until prosciutto is slightly crispy. 

    I always serve these straight out of the oven while hot. Enjoy!

    Say good morning with these delicious banana muffins! They are so tasty and satisfying in the morning. I have to give credit to the owner of Northwood Inn Bed and Breakfast in Ocean City, NJ for this great recipe. While working there during high school, I became their trusty baker. During the week I would bake these muffins, along with other ones like blueberry, glazed lime-nut, and orange chocolate chip. Since then. I have continued making the banana muffin recipe with some yummy additions.

    These muffins are a cincth to make and are a great breakfast during the busy work week or if you are having visitors on the weekend. They freeze well too! Here is the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (I never measure this ingredient, a pinch of salt is all you need)
1/2 cup or one stick butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium)- to mash my bananas I put them inside of a zip lock bag, seal                                                     it shut, and use my hands to mash them up.
Directions:

1. Stir together first three ingredients and make a well in the center (I use a whisk to mix).
2. Cream together butter, sugar, and one egg (no need to use a kitchen aid, a whisk or hand mixer works just fine).
3. Beat in second egg
4. Mix in sour cream and bananas.
5. Pour into well and stir to mix (mixture is lumpy).
6. This is where you can be creative! I have tried adding chocolate chips, softened peanut butter, walnuts, or pecans.
   
7. Fill greased muffin pans 3/4 full (I use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter). Makes about 15-16 muffins.
   
8. Bake muffins for 18-25 minutes. I keep an eye on them because they brown fast! As soon as the top is golden brown I take them out of the oven.
9. Let them cook a few minutes inside the pans. Then use a perry knife to loosen the edges, and take the muffins out to cool on a cooling rack. 

    Now it's time to enjoy! Eat them while they are warm, store them in zip lock bags once cooled, or freeze them to eat at a later time.