Mississippi Mud Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

So I was commissioned to make a chocolate pudding pie (whatever that is) for our Thanksgiving potluck. I've never done that before, but I was pretty sure Martha Stewart wouldn't let me down so I decided to go for it. I found this delicious recipe from Martha's website, and it looked a lot more gourmet than just a chocolate pudding pie. It was inhaled at dessert!

Mississippi Mud Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

25 chocolate wafer cookies (~1/2 a 9 oz package; we used Oreos with the cream scraped off)

1/2 C pecan halves, plus some for garnish

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tbsp cold, cut into small pieces

2/3 C plus 1 tsp sugar

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 C cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 C milk

4 large egg yolks

2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided

1/2 C heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In food processor, grind cookies and pecans to fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process until moistened.

2. Transfer mixture to 9" pie plate, pressing into bottom and up sides into crust shape. Bake until fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. Cool.

3. Place large, fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and set aside. In medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together 2/3 C sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. A few tbsp at a time, whisk in milk. Whisk in egg yolks.

4. Over medium heat, WHISKING CONSTANTLY, cook mixture until first large sputtering bubble forms. (It took 5-10 minutes or so, but you'll know exactly when this moment is because all of the sudden, out of nowhere, what was a thin mixture has morphed into perfect chocolate pudding!)

5. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute, still WHISKING CONSTANTLY.

6. Remove from heat and immediately pour through sieve into waiting bowl. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tbsp cold butter chunks.

7. Pour pudding into crust. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours.

8. Just before serving, beat cream, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pudding and sprinkle with pecans.

Enjoy! This was a really fun and gratifying recipe to make... it was super quick (even the baking is only for the crust), really easy, and delectable!

Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa with Avocado Cream Sauce

This is an incredibly healthy and AMAZINGLY delicious recipe! (The post seems kind of long and scary, but trust me, it's super easy and QUICK; it took me less than 45 minutes to whip this up; it's totally worth it). I found it at the Sarcastic Cooking website, and adapted it a little bit based on what I had available. It was my first attempt at making quinoa and I have to say, it's a little weird.  But I like it... I think. I know it's SUPER healthy, and it has an interesting texture that I think can be pretty versatile if I can just get creative and branch out a little.  Anyway, this particular recipe was fantastic and the chicken seasoning is incredible... I'll definitely be using it again.  Maybe for fajitas?

Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa with Avocado Cream Sauce

Chicken

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cumin (I used WAY less than this, because cumin is a little overpowering for my taste)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp olive oil (I used a little more)

Quinoa

2 C chicken stock

1 C quinoa

juice and zest from 1 lime

dash of salt and pepper

olive oil

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (I ran out, so I used parsley instead; it was SO GOOD)

1. Combine all dry seasonings in a small bowl (I'd make a little more than it calls for because the seasoned/blackened part of the chicken is so amazing that it'd be nice to have more of it). Mix them together and season both sides of each chicken breast.

2. Add the olive oil to large skillet and heat over medium/high heat for a minute. Add chicken breasts and cook for 7 minutes on each side (I cooked them a little longer; just cut into the chicken and when it's done, quit cooking) with the lid on.

3. Remove chicken from pan and cool several minutes before slicing.

4. Put chicken stock and quinoa in medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes (until all stock has been absorbed) with the lid on.

5. Add warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in lime zest, lime juice, plenty of salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Add cilantro (or parsley). I just tasted it until I liked the combo of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix to combine.

6. Lay sliced chicken breasts on top of quinoa and serve.

You can also whip up a creamy avocado sauce to cool down the spice (I didn't try this because I didn't have any avocados, but next time I definitely will). Mix flesh of an avocado with 2 tbsp Greek yogurt and drizzle on top!

I served this with a salad and yogurt.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Mexican Pizza

This is a recipe from Trader Joe's website, adapted slightly. I love this recipe because you can be as creative as you want with it. If you like Taco Bell's Mexican Pizzas, you're going to LOVE these!!!

Mexican Pizza

(Makes 2)

1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey

1 medium onion, diced (I used a little less)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin (I'd use a little less of this; the flavor is too overpowering for me)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt (I'd use just a little more)

4 9" flour tortillas

1 15-oz can refried beans (we used refried black beans!)

1/2 C chunky salsa (or a little less; we used this amount and they came out just a little bit soggy)

2 C 3-cheese blend (we used the Trader Joe's Lite version)

2 green onions, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, diced (I used WAY more because I LOVE tomatoes!)

1/4 C large black pitted olives, sliced (again, I used way more, because my husband loves black olives!)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place meat, onion, and garlic in skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned.

3. Drain off grease.

4. Mix chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Season meat with mixture.

5. Coat 2 pie plates (I used a cookie sheet) with non-stick cooking spray. Place 2 tortillas down and cover with a layer of refried beans.

6. Spread half the seasoned meat over each tortilla, then cover each with a second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

7. Spread half the salsa over the top tortillas. Top each pizza with half the cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and olives.

8. Return pizzas to oven, bake until cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes. (I may bake them a little longer next time to crisp them up a little bit.)

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Slice each pizza into 4 pieces and serve.

I doubled this recipe and we had a leftover pizza. I just put it in the fridge in foil and we had it the next day... just pop it in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes (or more depending on how crispy you want it) and it's DELICIOUS leftover! I served this with limes and creamy plain yogurt (instead of sour cream) and it was delectable :) Enjoy!!!

Baked Spaghetti

This is Paula Deen's recipe (which I adapted just a tad with seasoning), which I found on pinterest. It's delicious and even better leftover! I served with salad; some crusty garlic bread would've been a nice addition :)

Baked Spaghetti

2 C canned diced tomatoes

2 C tomato sauce

1 C water

1/2 C onion, diced

1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tsp Paula Deen's House Seasoning (which is 1 C salt, 1/4 C black pepper, and 1/4 C garlic powder)

1 1/2 tsp Paula Deen's Seasoned Salt (I had Lawry's so that's what I used)

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (I just divvied it up evenly between dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, and basil)

1 1/2 tsp sugar

2 small bay leaves (I didn't have any so I left this out)

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta

1 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 C Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In stockpot, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onion, pepper, garlic, parsley, 3 seasoning mixtures, sugar, and bay leaves.

3. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

4. Cook ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until fully cooked, with no pink color remaining (next time I may season the meat a little for flavor... even without seasoning though, this recipe was tasty).

5. Drain fat from meat (I didn't, but mine was pretty lean to start out) and add meat to stockpot. Simmer for 20 minutes more.

6. Cook pasta according to package directions.

7. Cover bottom of 13x9x12 dish with sauce. Add a layer of pasta then a little less than 1/2 of each cheese.

8. Repeat the layers, ending with sauce.

9. Bake for 30 minutes. Top casserole with remaining cheese and bake for about 5 minutes more, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups

This dish is fantastic! I got it from the blog Mmm...Cafe, and she also includes her mom's garlic alfredo sauce recipe (see last post) which is delectable... I don't even really like alfredo sauce that much, and I couldn't stop licking the spoon :)

Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups

serves 3

2 1/2 C alfredo sauce

9 lasagna noodles

oregano

garlic salt

2 C cooked chicken, shredded (I just baked a few breasts with salt and pepper to use)

3 C Mozzarella, shredded

1. Spray 8x8 dish with non-stick spray and pour 1/2 C alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover bottom, into dish.

2. Boil 8-10 C water in large pan and cook lasagna noodles until al dente (you may want to cook a couple extra since they tend to break and tear during rolling.)

3. Drain and RINSE WITH COLD WATER TO PREVENT NOODLES FROM STICKING TO EACH OTHER (don't skip this step)!

4. Lay out each noodle and blot dry with a paper towel.

5. Over each noodle, spread about 2 tbsp alfredo sauce (don't use too much or it'll get messy fast). Sprinkle on some oregano and garlic salt. Take 1/9 of shredded chicken and spread evenly over each noodle. Top each with 3 tbsp cheese.

6. To roll noodles, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings (it may help to lift the noodle a little as you roll to prevent toppings from squishing out.)

7. Place rolls in dish, seam sides down. Pour remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese. (I had a couple extra so I just layered them on top with more alfredo sauce. If you do this, be sure to spread a little sauce between the layers as well.)

8. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until cheese on top is completely melted.

I served with salad with balsamic vinegar dressing and a large bowl of plain Greek yogurt to cut through the delicious greasiness (this isn't what I'd call the healthiest meal, but it's worth the occasional indulgence!) Enjoy!!!

Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Here's the alfredo sauce I used for my next post, the Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups.  It's from the blog Mmm...Cafe, and it's so worth the creamy, cheesy indulgence. Give it a try, even if you're not an alfredo fan; this just may change your mind!

Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1/2 C butter (I might try using a little less next time; it was pretty oily, but still delicious)

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

2 oz cream cheese

2 C heavy cream (or 1/2 and 1/2)

2 tsp garlic powder

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2/3 C parmesan cheese

1. In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

2. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth and melted.

3. Whisk in heavy cream.

4. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oregano.

5. Bring to simmer, whisking frequently until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.

6. Stir in cheese and when melted, remove from heat and serve.

This recipe converted me into an alfredo sauce lover! Hope you enjoy it :)

Roasted Asparagus

I got this recipe from Mom, when I called to ask her what to serve with my Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Noodles. It's super quick and super healthy! She told me to buy asparagus spears that are a little thicker (as opposed to the thin, delicate ones you would want for steaming), and they ended up staying nice and juicy.  Sorry, no picture for this one, but when done, they should look just a little browned in spots and still mostly a healthy green color.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus, not too thin

olive oil

garlic salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Toss asparagus spears in olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper.

3. Cover cookie sheet in tin foil and lay out spears 1 layer thick.

4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or so (check after 15 minutes) until slightly softened and tender.

5. Serve warm.

Enjoy!!!