Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

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Several bloggers that I follow have made Elly Says Opa's gyros so I decided it was time to try them myself. I really didn't change much about the recipe, since I've never made gyros before and wanted them to be as close to authentic as possible. I did, however, realize that gyros are about impossible to look appetizing in pictures.

You will notice my gyros are simply chicken and tzatziki sauce; I don't like tomatos or onions... by all means, load yours up with veggies if you like them. Next time I'll make my own pitas!

This recipe was quick to make after work but only because I had done some prep the night before. My yogurt strained overnight in the fridge and I went ahead and marinated my chicken overnight, too. The chicken was very flavorful and moist and the tzatziki sauce was worth the effort I made last night.

We had it with Greek Tomato Pilaf.

Chicken Gyros
1.25 lbs. chicken pieces (I used boneless/skinless breast)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1/2 batch of tzatziki (recipe below)
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced onions
4 (pocketless) pitas

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat the broiler (or grill, or pan on the stove). Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Meanwhile, heat your pitas. I threw mine into the microwave but you could throw them on the grill for a few minutes or put them on your burner, if you are lucky enough to have a gas stove.

Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions. Enjoy!


Tzatziki Sauce
32oz. container of plain yogurt (Not fat free, unless it's a Greek yogurt like Fage)
1 hothouse cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers
3-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp white wine vinegar
Salt and a little pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (or, line a strainer with a coffee filter or paper towel) for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.

Peel and seed the cucumber. Shred the cucumbers and then squeeze them to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. I use a towel to do this, and you will get a lot of liquid.

Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice (if desired). Salt to taste. It’s best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Greek Tomato Pilaf (Domatorizo)

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I'm a big fan of Greek food (okay, really any ethnic food), and eat it occasionally at one or two of the local Greek restaurants I've come across. One of the restaurants serves this rice pilaf alongside their dishes that I just love. When I decided to make chicken gyros for the first time, I knew I wanted that rice too!

I Googled my heart out and didn't come across exactly the rice I had in mind but I did find this Greek tomato rice at Souvlaki for the Soul. It looked easy enough, and used my favorite rice (basmati!) so I decided to give it a try. Plus, with that gorgeous red color, how could I resist?

As soon as I put the sauce onto simmer, Jason remarked that is smelled good. Thankfully it did more than smell good - it tasted delicious! It might be a Greek dish but this one could definitely be served alongside a number of dishes for a flavor punch.

I did tweak the recipe a bit, and he tweaked his off someone else's, so feel free to backtrack and check out the other versions if you'd like.

Greek Tomato Pilaf
Olive oil to coat your pan plus a tablespoon of butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 large can crushed tomatos
2 cups of chicken broth or stock
1 and 1/2 cups of basmati rice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
A handful of finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and garlic in some olive oil and butter until they become translucent.

Add the tomatoes and cover allowing it to cook for about 15 mins or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Add the remaining ingredients except the rice and bring to a boil.

Add the rice, stir thoroughly and reduce the heat.

Cover the pot and let it simmer on a low heat for 15 mins until the rice is just tender BUT the liquid has NOT all been absorbed.

Remove from the heat and place a kitchen towel between the lid and the pot and let it rest until the rice has swollen. The residual heat will allow this to cook a little further.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, if preferred.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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This is a recipe I saw on Annie's Eats recently. Dark chocolate and orange are probably one of my very favorite flavor combinations so I marked it as a "must try soon!" recipe.

These were very easy to throw together using basic ingredients most people already have on hand. As they bake, the smell of the orange filling your kitchen is intoxicating. I baked them late one night (around midnight) and just had to try one before I went to bed!

Since this made about a dozen muffins, and Jason isn't a big dark chocolate fan, I took most of them to work and asked for some input from my food loving colleagues. I thought it was a good recipe but not as moist as I would have expected - my friends at work agreed. Don't get me wrong - they are very tasty - they are just drier in texture than I would have expected. Since I know very little about baking, it's hard for me to even guess why that would be. Even still, if you're a chocolate orange fan, give these a try. You won't be disappointed!

(Annie used blood oranges in hers, which my store was out of, so I used regular oranges. Maybe that would have made a difference? Feel free to use any type of orange!)

Orange Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Yield: 12-14 muffins

For the muffins:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. coarse salt
Grated zest of 3 oranges
4-6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs

For the glaze:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Whisk to blend. Stir the chocolate chunks into the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl combine the melted butter, orange juice, vanilla and eggs. Whisk to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold together gently just until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling about ¾ full.

Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a wire rack.

While the muffins are baking, making the glaze. Combine the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Brush warm glaze over the muffins as they cool.

Chicken Tetrazzini

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I've never been a huge fan of tetrazzini because it often includes cream soup, which I typically don't eat. This recipe, however, didn't contain any sign of cream soup. It's from Giada and was highly rated (Giada rarely lets me down!). I honestly don't remember ever making tetrazzini so I thought we'd give it a try and see if we liked it.

We did.

This is actually really, really tasty and a fairly versatile recipe. You could mix in any vegetables you wanted (she suggests peas), use turkey instead of chicken, etc. You could even use any type of noodle - which is what I did! I went to pull the pasta from the pantry and of course, had forgotten the linguine the recipe called for so I used egg noodles instead. Since eating long strands of noodles can be annoying, I honestly loved the change in noodle size. So much easier to mix together with the sauce and easier to eat!

I did make some changes, including cutting the milk back and using rotisserie chicken instead of cooking my own. I also left out the peas since I would have picked them out anyways. The recipe below indicates all of my changes; if you'd like to see Giada's original recipe, click here.

It's not a quick weeknight meal but, thanks to the use of the rotisserie chicken, truly did not take that long even after a day of work. I did a few things to save even more time - I used frozen chopped onions, instead of chopping my own, and I grated my garlic over the pan instead of mincing each clove. This also makes a huge portion - especially for just the two of us - so we can have several more meals out of it. That always makes a more time consuming recipe okay in my book.

My absolute favorite part of this recipe is the slightly crunchy noodles that browned at the top. Delicious!

Chicken Tetrazzini
7 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded, or rotisserie chicken meat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces egg noodles (or linguine, if you want to be authentic)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs (or, plain breadcrumbs mixed with Italian seasonings)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (or butter it) and set aside.

Put the cooked, shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add the pasta, sauce, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Rum Glazed Shrimp

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This is the second part of our meal, which included the previously posted coconut rice. These shrimp were really tasty, very easy, and used items I almost always already have on hand. I love making an entire meal that involves only picking up 2-3 items at the store!

I opted to throw some sliced pineapple on the grill at the same time and brushed them with the same glaze. Delicious! This recipe comes from Courtney at Cook Like a Champion who got it from Food and Wine.com.

If you're looking for skewers for appetizers, or a main meal, this would be a great summery dish to try. She used sugar cane swizzle sticks but I didn't easily find them at my store so I just used wood skewers. Though she said the sugar cane made the shrimp a little sweeter, I don't think we missed out on anything by using wood skewers. Would be really cute for presentation, though, to use the sugar cane sticks!

Rum Glazed Shrimp
For the marinade:
24 jumbo shrimp (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 package sugar cane swizzle sticks (optional)
Vegetable oil, for the grill

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Allow to sit for 15 minutes while preparing the glaze.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, rum, mustard, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy, 5 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut the sugar cane crosswise on the diagonal into 5-inch sections, then halve each section lengthwise. You can prepare the recipe several hours in advance up to this step.

Set up your grill for direct grilling. Using a bamboo skewer, make two starter holes in each shrimp. Skewer the shrimp with the sugar cane. Brush the grill grate with oil. Grill the shrimp until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side, generously basting with the glaze. Serve additional glaze alongside.

Coconut Rice

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One of my favorite things about Indian food is the use of Basmati rice. There is just something about the smell and taste of it that I absolutely love. When I came across this recipe on Branny Boils Over, I knew I had to try it. Not only does it have my favorite rice but it also has the addition of coconut and cinnamon.

It certainly didn't disappoint. The rice is not overly sweet or coconuty (is that a word?). It's the perfect accompaniment to these rum glazed skewers of shrimp that I made (which I'll include in a seperate post) and would be a big hit at a summer BBQ.

Jason is not a big rice fan (while I could eat a bowl of buttered rice for every meal) and he ate this up. Big hit in our house!

Coconut Rice
2 cups long-grain rice (basmati rice)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup water
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon salt

Rinse rice in a sieve under cold running water 2 to 3 minutes, then drain well.

Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan over moderately high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes opaque, about 3 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, water, cinnamon, and salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and fluff rice with a fork.

Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars

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One of Jason's favorite candy bars are Heath Bars so when I came across these bar cookies on Annie's Eats, I knew I had to try them out. It's such a simple dessert, really, especially for a non baker like myself but so good.

This isn't an instant gratification treat, which made me sad, but on the second night when I bit into one I realized it was totally worth the wait. They are absolutely delicious. Let the pan sit in the fridge overnight and you'll have something to look forward to when you get home from work the next day!

If you like toffee, you must make these.

Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars
For the shortbread base:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the topping:
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups toffee bits

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line a 9 x 13″ baking dish with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. To make the shortbread, combine the flour, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl; stir to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate until evenly distributed.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish and press into an even layer covering the bottom of the pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the shortbread is bubbling. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer to a wire rack.

Sprinkle the 6 ounces of chopped chocolate evenly over the top of the cookie base. Cover the pan with foil and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the crust in a thin layer. Immediately sprinkle the toffee bits over the melted chocolate and press down gently to adhere. Let the bars cool to room temperature. Once the pan has cooled, you may speed chilling by transferring to the refrigerator or freezer. When the topping is set, remove from the pan, transfer to a cutting board and slice into bars.

Classic Mac and Cheese

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Awhile back, I wandered past the fancy cheese section at Kroger (the one I avoid unless looking for something specific because my deep love for cheese would blow our budget if I were tempted) and they had a ton of cheeses on clearance. I'm talking 90% off - amazing prices. So, I did what any sane person would do and bought about 10 pounds of cheese (threw most of it in the freezer).

This week, while working on a grocery list and menu, I decided that I needed to use up that about-to-spoil cheese that I didn't freeze. And what better way than an ooey, gooey, mac and cheese? Yes, traditionally a cool weather dish (and it's certainly not cool here!) but we both had no issues eating it when it was 102 outside.

You can use any pasta shape and cheese you want (I am including the suggested cheeses; I ended up using 4 different kinds that I found in my fridge). Also, you absolutely have to shred your own cheese or it will be gritty. Preshredded cheese is coated in a substance to keep it from sticking together in the package and it doesn't melt down as well.

It will seem like WAY too much cheese sauce but it's really not - I promise. You just barely start to cook the pasta before throwing it in the huge pot of cheese sauce and letting it bake so the pasta finishes cooking within the cheese. It's creamy and delicious and exactly what a classic mac and cheese should be.

You may notice in my picture that there is something else mixed into my pasta... Jason is convinced that it's not a meal if there is not meat present so I threw in some diced honey ham that I still had frozen from Easter. Since I used some pretty strong cheeses, the sweet ham really was a nice addition. But don't tell him that.

I found this recipe on Annie's Eats.

Classic Mac and Cheese
For the bread crumb topping:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper

For the pasta:
1 lb. pasta shapes
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
3½ cups milk
1 lb. colby jack cheese, shredded
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Ground black pepper

To make the bread crumb topping, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in the panko and cook, stirring frequently, until the bread crumbs are a light golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook just until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave in the colander.

Return the pot to the heat. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne, cooking just until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk and continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses, whisking until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the drained pasta into the cheese sauce.

Pour the pasta and cheese mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13″ baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumb topping.* Bake 30-35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

*At this point, you can wrap the dish tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To serve, bake covered at 400˚ F until the filling is hot throughout, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the breadcrumbs are crisp, 15-20 minutes more.

Indian Spiced Chicken and Curried Quinoa with Chickpeas

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My love for Indian spices is pretty well known; I have invested in quite a few "staples" in the Indian food cuisine, including some I picked up at an Indian market in NYC a few weeks ago, so whenever I find a recipe that uses any of them I have to give it a try.

This entire meal comes from Erin's Food Files. The chicken is originally from Cook.com and the quinoa is actually a Weight Watchers recipe! All in all, it's a pretty healthy and easy meal to make and is VERY flavorful and delicious. We loved it!

Indian Spiced Chicken
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
4 lemon wedges

In small bowl, stir together oil and garlic. Stir in water, paprika, ginger, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, turmeric and cayenne pepper.

Spoon 1 tbsp into another small bowl; stir in lemon juice and set aside. Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow glass dish; brush with remaining spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate chicken for at least 1 hour.

Place chicken on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook for 5 minutes.

Turn and brush with reserved lemon mixture. Close lid and cook, turning often, until chicken is no longer pink inside and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Curried Quinoa with Chickpeas
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup cooked frozen peas and carrots, thawed
5 oz canned chickpeas, (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted (we left out)
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup golden seedless raisins
2 medium scallions, chopped (we left out)
1 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
1 tsp orange zest, grated

Combine the quinoa, orange juice, water, curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the cumin, and allspice in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 12–15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and peas and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and almonds; cook, stirring, about 2 minutes longer. Remove the skillet from the heat, then stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper.

Transfer the quinoa mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the raisins, scallions, cilantro, and orange zest; toss well. Stir in the chickpea mixture and serve at once or let the mixture cool to room temperature before serving. Yields 1 1/3 cup per serving.

Crispy Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

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I have a deep love for Asian food - especially the fried type - so I was drawn to this recipe immediately when I came across it on Stephanie Cooks. There are heathier ways to make it but if you're in the mood for a crunchy, breaded chicken dish, this is easy and tasty.

The sauce was easily thrown together with ingredients I had on hand - you can tweak it depending upon what's in your fridge. Stir fry is always an easy, quick way to use up things you have on hand and a great meal for weeknights!

Jason is really not big on veggies - especially cooked broccoli, snow peas, and carrots - so I figured I'd eat that all on my own. Instead, the broccoli soaked up all that delicious sauce and was by far my favorite part of the meal. I'm a huge carnivore and I found myself wishing for just a bowl of the broccoli. Even Jason ate it!

When I make this again, I'll double the sauce recipe. The sauce as written was plenty to coat the vegetables and chicken but not enough to drizzle over the rice.

Crispy Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry
2-3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts halves, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup cornstarch
1-2 egg, beaten
Oil (vegetable or canola)
1/3 cup cashews
2 cups fresh or frozen stir fried Asian veggie mix
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp teriyaki or Hoisin sauce

Pour the cornstarch over the diced chicken and toss until evenly coated.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet with a thin layer of oil that just covers the bottom of the pan.

Once the oil is hot, work in batches dipping each piece of chicken in the beaten egg and frying on all sides until cooked through and browned. Remove from the pan.

Add the cashews and veggies to the pan. Stir until heated though.

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and teriyaki sauce. Stir well. Pour over the veggies and cashews, stirring well.

Return the chicken to the pan, stirring until all chicken is coated in sauce.

Serve with rice, if desired.

M&M Sugar Cookie Bars

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In some ways, cookie bars are easier than traditional cookies to make. You don't have to make sheet after sheet of them, pull them off to cook on wire racks, or shape each one. You just throw the batter in a baking pan and let it bake. My kind of baking!

I came across these on Stephanie Cooks and they looked fun, easy, and used ingredients I always have on hand. The batter itself took less than 10 minutes to throw together - just as long as a box mix would take. She says to mix the dry and wet ingredients together and pour into the pan - my batter was quite thick, not liquidy, so I actually used my hands to just mix the ingredients together and pressed it into the pan. I was worried something was wrong but they turned out perfect!

They are buttery and sweet, just like a sugar cookie, with the crunch and color of an M&M. An easy, throw together treat.

This recipe is enough for an 8x8 pan, not a 9x13, but you could easily double the recipe and just watch the baking time.

M&M Sugar Cookie Bars

1 stick butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
M&Ms

Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar.

Once it's slightly cooled (about 3 minutes) beat in the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Stir this into the wet mixture.

Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish (or similar size). Bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Pull out of the oven and top with M&Ms, gently pressing them into the dough.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, or until the top is set and the cookies don't wiggle when you shake the pan. They should still be white with barely golden edges.

Cool completely in the pan before slicing. Yields 9 cookie bars.

Avocado Enchiladas

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It's hard to take a picture of enchiladas, especially since they often fall apart as you're lifting them out of the pan. So, instead, you get a picture of the final dish smothered in cheesy goodness.

When I came across this recipe on Apple a Day, I knew I had to make it. This recipe is completely out of the norm for me. For one, avocados are pricey - and so is cheese - so the dish cost a lot more than I would normally spend. And, it's a time consuming recipe. But, a really good dish is often worth the cost and effort and this was, actually, really good.

This is the filling. How can this not be good?

Jason was drooling as I was cooking; it had all his favorite ingredients! Beer, avocados, cilantro, and a full pound of cheese. He was even able to overlook the lack of meat - which says a lot.

Like I mentioned above, this does take some time to make so it'd be a great weekend recipe. The blogger recommends to make the sauce ahead of time, to let the flavors meld together, so I made the sauce the night before and just kept it in the fridge. Since you dip each tortilla in the sauce by hand, I was very thankful that my sauce had not just stopped simmering on the stove! This sauce was fairly sweet but good. You could always use your own favorite enchilada sauce instead. It does call for a chipotle pepper but after our experience with the pad thai recipe, I cut it completely. After tasting the sauce, I decided it needed some kick so I added hot sauce to it until it tasted right.

Be sure and take the time to fry each tortilla; it does take time, and another pan, but the tortillas will get mushy in the sauce without it.

This would also be delicious with some tequila lime shrimp mixed into the avocado!

Avocado Enchiladas
For the sauce:
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 TBSP cumin
3 TBSP dried oregano
1 chipotle in adobo, minced (I replaced with hot sauce to taste)
1 can beer (we used the entire bottle)
1 twenty-eight ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 c. vegetable broth (I used chicken)

For the enchiladas:
8 ripe avocados, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced (I skipped)
1 c. cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Juice of two limes
1 tsp. salt
20 corn tortillas
1/3 c. canola oil
1 lb. Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

Prepare the sauce by heating one tsp. oil in sauce pan. Add onion and saute for five minutes or until soft. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and chipotle and saute two more minutes. Add beer, tomatoes, and broth. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Can be made two days in advance.

Prepare the filling by tossing together the avocado, cilantro, red onion, lime juice and salt.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In saucepan, heat oil over medium flame for about five minutes. Once oil is hot, fry tortillas one at a time for one minute each side, or until lightly brown and blistered. Remove and blot on brown grocery bag or paper towel.

Spread 1/2 c. red sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.

To assemble enchiladas, dip fried tortillas in pot of remaining red sauce, spoon three heaping tablespoons of avocado filling in each tortilla and sprinkle with some cheese. Roll up and arrange rolled tortillas side by side in casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Take foil off and bake for another five minutes.

The Very Versatile Frittata

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As soon as we got back from NYC, I jumped right into a crazy work week and weekend (including an all-nighter that I'm still recovering from!). I made a grocery list days ago but still hadn't gotten to the store. So, last night I dug through the freezer to see what I could make.

A frittata is truly one of the most versatile meals you can make - and SO quick and easy. A piece of cake to throw together.

I used this dish as a guideline but completely switched out the veggie and protein. I used brown sugar ham (frozen, from Easter), chopped broccoli (frozen), and shredded Asiago cheese that I had leftover from another dish. I even found some fresh herbs to throw in! Swap out anything you have on hand and in about 15 minutes, you can have an entire pan of deliciousness ready for dinner.

Frittata
2 tablespoons butter
Box of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed (I used a little less than a full box)
A few handfuls of chopped ham
1 cup Asiago Cheese, shredded
6-7 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat broiler. In 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat butter. Put the thawed broccoli in the pan and cook a few minutes. Remove from heat and throw in the ham and cheese.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with sage, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over ham and broccoli mixture. Gently toss together. Return skillet to stove over medium-low heat; cook until frittata edges are set, 3 to 5 minutes. Place frittata under preheated broiler, 5 inches from heat for 3 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Remove from broiler and let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

The Big Apple (and the food that goes with it!)

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Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I uploaded a post! After Easter, things got crazy around here - and we took a little trip to my favorite city in the world:

Which, as you probably know, is a foodie's dream destination. The amount of restaurants is unimaginable - I loved just peering in windows, glancing over posted menu's, and soaking in all the new concepts in dining that are out there (not to mention the markets! and street vendors! and surplus of Starbucks!)

While there, we explored this amazing Italian spot called Eately. It's massive; at first glance, you think you're entering into a simple storefront espresso bar but then the store continues... and continues... and continues... You see things like this:

And around another corner, see rows of this:

There is also a gelato bar, large cheese selection, wine and cheese dining area, seafood counter, three restaurants, kitchen appliance and cookbook section, fresh produce area, and more. Seriously, I could move in and have all I ever needed for the rest of my life. It was always jam packed with people and there isn't any wonder as to why! If you're in Manhattan, stop by - it's across from Madison Square Park, near the Flatiron Building.

We ate well while there but chose to not do any truly fine dining. I'm a fan of dressing up on vacation but Jason wasn't and quite frankly, hiking in heels through the subway and sidewalks of NY didn't sound all that appealing once we got there.

Five Napkin Burger was a restaurant previously recommended to me and ended up being one of the cheapest meals of the trip! I knew it was a winner when we stepped in at 6pm on a Thursday night and there was already a 20 minute wait and the place was packed with locals. The location we hit was down the street from the theater we were heading to (to see Rock of Ages). Their own brew was especially tasty and we split their 1 pound burger for two - which was massive and came with two sides to split:

No food lovers trip to NYC is complete without a stop by Chelsea Market (which is also where they film Food Network shows!). Through the windows, we saw things like:

And peered into windows where people were hard at work doing things like this:

On Saturday, we took a much needed break from pounding the pavement of the city and went to Long Island for a day of wine tasting. We ate seafood here in the town of Greenport before hitting the tasting rooms:

We had great food experiences: we ate hot dogs in Central Park; had lunch in the cellar of the world's largest store (Macy's); ate on the dock of Chelsea Pier; enjoyed sandwiches at a deli' had fajitas, sangria, and margarita's with old friends; and devoured Indian, Chinese, and Spanish food. And of course, grabbed snacks from street vendors along the way - and lots of iced coffee!

Since this is a food blog, I figured I'd focus on that aspect of your trip but fear not! We did not just eat our way through the city. We saw a TON in our 7 day trip in addition to the things listed above:

Central Park

Rockefeller Center

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Met (including the AMAZING Alexander McQueen exhibit that recently opened!)

The Statue of Liberty

Ground Zero

Wall Street

Chinatown

Little Italy

Chelsea Pier Sports Complex (ie, driving range for Jason)

The High Line Park

SoHo

Greenwich Village

Times Square

NBC Studio Tour (saw several SNL actors on the set)

Top of the Rock

Empire State Building

Rock of Ages, on Broadway

But most importantly, we spent time with our friends who live in Queens (Matt and Julie), had dinner with a friend from high school/college (Jeremiah), met a distant cousin (Micah), and spent lots of time with my Uncle George.

Now that we're home to stay for awhile, I have some new recipes I'm dying to try! 

Gratin Dauphinoise

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The picture, taken after lunch because I forgot to snap one before, makes this look almost like a hashbrown casserole - that's just the grated cheese on top that melted funny. It's actually sliced potatoes in herbed heavy cream topped with grated gruyere. And it's delicious.

Everytime we have a "holiday" meal, like Easter lunch which I made this for, I debate what kind of starch to make. Because I love them all. Elly Says Opa had this gratin dish on her blog that sounded delicious and different than the normal heavyonthecheese scalloped potatoes I have made in the past. Plus it has gruyere in it - and who doesn't love gruyere? I adapted it some to use items I already had on hand.

The only issue I had was that some of the potatoes that were stacked right on top of each other didn't cook as evenly as the other parts, which meant a few crunchier pieces among the delicious soft ones. Next time, I'd make sure they were spread out more and maybe bake it a few more minutes.

Regular gruyere was more expensive than the smoked gruyere so guess which kind I used?

This dish was creamy, rich, and downright sinful. Definitely a once a year splurge! I prepped the entire dish on Saturday night - short of baking it - covered it tightly in foil and put it in the fridge overnight. Then I just let the dish come to room temp when we got in from church and baked it before lunch was served.

Gratin Dauphinoise
makes 8 servings
8 small-medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4″ slices
2 cup heavy cream
10 garlic cloves, slightly crushed, divided
2 sprig thyme
2 sprig of rosemary (I used minced rosemary, which I left in the dish when it baked)
2 sprig of parsley
salt and pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. grated gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 350

Place the potatoes in a pot and add the cream, 8 of the garlic cloves, and herbs. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and discard the garlic and herbs.

Use the two remaining cloves of garlic to rub around the inside of a 9x13 casserole dish, then butter the gratin dish so it's evenly coated. Pour the potatoes and cream into the baking dish and top with the grated cheese. Cook for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are brown and bubbling. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.