Spanish Chicken & Potato Roast

This is a beautiful dish for a bargain! 

Buying chicken thighs can save so much money. I bought a package at Smith's for $5! That would feed a family of four easily. The seasoning is so simple but it has such a wonderful flavor! It's amazing what a few ordinary ingredients will do for chicken and potatoes. Paired with a green salad, it's the perfect Sunday meal!

Spanish Chicken & Potato Roast

Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com

1 1/2 lbs. large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (5 to 6 pieces)

2 tsp. smoked paprika

Freshly smoked pepper

4 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh parsley or 4 tsp. dry parsley

1 lemon, juiced

2 large or 3 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Place a large cast-iron baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Put the potatoes, garlic, olive oil, 1 tablespoon water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large microwave-safe baking dish and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, pierce the plastic in a few places with a knife and microwave 8 minutes to partially cook.

Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add 2 tablespoons parsley (or 2 tsp. dried) and the lemon juice; toss to coat. Set aside.

Remove the hot baking dish from the oven; carefully add the potatoes and spread in an even layer. Scatter the onions on top. Roast until the potatoes start to brown, about 12 minutes.

Flip the potatoes and lay the chicken pieces on top, adding any accumulated juices from the bowl; return to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 12 more minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried).

Preparing the chicken.

Adding the chicken with the potatoes and onions.

Summer Veggie & Beef Saute

Hello Readers!

I have taken a huge break from blogging. A lot has happened in our life and I think things have settled down enough now to where I can get back into it. We just recently moved three hours away from our home and families. It was pretty drastic and we are really sad we had to go but I think this will be a big learning experience for us. Sometimes you just have to take a risk and hope that you are making the right decision. We think we are! My husband is going back to school and we really believe it will help make our life better in the long run. So, wish us luck that the next two years will go by extremely fast! Thanks :)

 

Now, to my recipe. This is one of those dinners that is so versatile. Basically, if you have ground beef in your freezer and some veggies, you can make this dinner! This time I used onion, broccoli, yellow squash and zucchini. You could easily through in a tomato, green onion, mushrooms, peas, carrots, or whatever else floats your boat! Also, as far as I know this recipe is original. My mom is one of those people that just throws things together and they turn out delicious! So I owe this one all to her.

 

 

 

 

Summer Veggie & Beef Saute

Serves 2-4

 

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. chopped Garlic

1 lb. Ground Beef

2 small Zucchini, sliced and halved

1 small Yellow Squash, sliced and halved

2 cups Broccoli

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sour cream (optional)

 

1. Heat olive oil in large pan. Add garlic and chopped onion. Saute until onion is transparent.

2. Add ground beef and brown.

3. Meanwhile, steam vegetables until tender.

4. Add vegetables to the beef mixture and stir until combined.

5. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve with sour cream on top. It's delicious!

 

 

Please feel free to comment or leave suggestions below. Thanks!

 

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

If you love Peanut Butter as much as I do (and oh, do I love it!). 

Then you'll die over these Peanut Butter Cookies from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook! 

They're so soft and moist and so ADDICTING! 

My advice is to make sure you put them in a plastic container or they might lose their moist goodness! 

~And as always, serve with a cold glass of milk~

Peanut Butter Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. 

2. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. 

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. 

4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. stir in remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle (about 20 minutes).

5. Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. roll balls in additional granulated sugar to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (they spread a little). Flatten by making crisscross marks with a fork. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

6. Once cooled, store in an air tight container for up to a week. (But they won't last that long anyway :)

*This post/recipe is dedicated to my Grandma VanWagoner. She is the most beautiful and wonderful grandma in the whole world. I think the reason why I love these cookies so much is because they remind me of her. She always has a cookie jar out on the counter filled with cookies, but the cookies I remember best were her Peanut Butter Cookies. Thank you Grandma for all you've done in your life to get me where I am today!

Beef & Bean Taco Casserole

I just LOVE dinners like this one!

Where there are only a few steps and it doesn't take all night to put together!

 I guess that's the beauty of a casserole and I appreciate it very much. 

I also had all the ingredients on hand, so you probably will too! 

I found this recipe on Pinterest {Love it} and it comes from Recipe.com which is such a great website! 

This is a really fun way to enjoy a taco without eating a boring old taco. I also added avocado and used a orange bell pepper to give it a little sweet note. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use as many vegetables as you'd like! 

You just might need a larger dish :)

Here are all the ingredients you'll be needing.

Layering the ingredients in the dish.

Final product. YUM! 

Beef & Bean Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound Lean Ground Beef

1 can (16 oz.) Vegetarian Refried Beans

2 Cups Salsa

1 package Taco Seasoning (or to taste)

1/2 medium Bell Pepper, Chopped (3/4 cup)

4 medium Green Onions, chopped (1/4 cup)

1 medium fresh tomato

1 can(15 oz.) Petite Diced tomatoes

1 Cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 can (15 oz.) Olives, sliced

1 Cup shredded lettuce

1 medium-large Avocado

Tortilla Chips, coarsley broken (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked, drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning. reduce heat to medium. Heat through, stirring occasionally.

2. In an ungreased 2 quart casserole dish, spread beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, canned petite diced tomatoes, cheese and olives.

3. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, chopped fresh tomato and avocado. Optional: Top with broken tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Chocolate-Drizzled Cherry Bars

So this is my first blog entry for my new cooking/baking blog! I'm so excited to share recipes that I've found, tested and tasted! I hope my comments will make you want to try the same recipes (if they turn out good).

This recipe is from a cook book my Mother-in-law gave to me called The Taste Of Home Baking Book. This cookbook is so amazing! It has everything baking in it. I will probably use this cookbook quite often.

I've left notes within the recipe that I thought would help this dish be better. They are marked with an * sign.

Chocolate-Drizzled Cherry Bars

Prep: 15 min.

Bake: 35 min.

Yeild: 3 dozen

2 Cups all purpose flour

2 Cups quick cooking oats

1-1/2 Cups sugar

1-1/4 Cups butter, softened

1 Can (21 oz.) Cherry pie filling

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 Cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 teaspoon shortening

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar and butter until crumbly, set aside 1-1/2 cups. * I would actually set aside 2 cups. the crust came out thick and the topping was too thin with just saving 1-1/2 cups.* Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes or until edges begin to brown. *This picture shows me putting the crust up on the sides of the pan. DO NOT DO THIS! I wished I hadn't. Make a slight incline up the side to keep the cherries in but that's it. It will turn out better.*

2. In a bowl, combine pie filling and extract; carefully spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

3. Bake 20 - 25 minutes longer or until edges and topping are lightly browned. In a microwave or heavy saucepan,*I used the microwave.* melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm bars. *use a spoon or if you want to be fancy, put chocolate in a Ziplock back with one corner cut out and pipe on the chocolate.* Cool completely on a wire rack.

This recipe turned out so good! I am highly recommending it to everyone I know. I took this over to my in-laws house for Sunday dinner and it was a hit! You could also serve it with some vanilla ice cream or whipped topping on top!

Enjoy!