Category Archives: Cooking

Sausage and Rice

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 15 June, 2014 None comments

This thirty minute meal contains sausage, rice and shrimp. It’s almost too simple and I believe that this is why Cooper devours this meal and eats leftovers until it’s officially gone.

It’s a rarity in our house to find meals Cooper not only loves, but will eat again the next day. Makes life less complicated in one area at least. :)

Ingredients:

1 Turkey Sausage (Johnsonville or alike)
1 medium Red Pepper
1 Medium Orange Pepper
3 cups shrimp, tail off and devained
4 cups Jasmine Rice, cooked
5 TBSP butter
Garlic Salt

In a small skillet add sausage and 1 tbsp butter. Heat through.

In a separate skillet add shrimp and 2 Tbsp butter and garlic salt.

Cook until fully pink making sure not to over cook.

Yummy!

Once heated through set aside. Leave juice in skillet and saute vegetables in remaining juice.

I add rice and 2 TBSP butter to rice maker for additional flavor. I love my rice maker.

Pour sausage, vegetables and shrimp over rice. How easy is that?

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla’s

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 14 June, 2014 None comments

Do you ever have those moments when you can’t think of any good dinner ideas? I often do and those days are the days I hate looking in my fridge. All the random items that have compiled throughout the week but nothing to do with them. I decided this concept must not be true otherwise dinner will never get made tonight.

As much as I get stuck in a rut of the same ol’ same ol’ routine of chicken, burgers, pasta and so forth, I was out to make something great from these items. I had leftover rotisserie chicken and lots of vegetables longing to be eaten. After much thought, I decided to add BBQ sauce to the chicken to spice it up a little and then saute mushrooms as we have plenty of them. Prepping these two items was less than ten minutes and brought me to the glorious idea to turn it into quesadilla night. We all love quesadilla’s and with everything on hand it made for an easy, quick dinner.

Chopping my vegetables during nap time and setting them aside as well as prepping the chicken with BBQ sauce was anything but hard. These few minutes passed immediately and now I am ready and waiting for dinner time.

Ingredients:

2 cups mushrooms, chopped
½ onion, chopped
6-8 Brussels sprouts, chopped (optional)
1 tsp Garlic salt
Freshly ground better
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup chicken
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
1/2-1 cup shredded Kerrygold cheese (optional)

Chop mushrooms, onion and Brussels sprouts. Toss with garlic salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Begin to cook on medium-low heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add chopped chicken and barbecue sauce. Mix and set aside.

Once vegetables are nice and tender, add chicken and heat through.

On a griddle, lay tortillas one at a time and spoon mixture onto tortilla and top with cheese.

Add cheese.

Fold over and cook each side until golden brown.

Top with sour cream, salsa, avocado and chives.

Honey Nut Granola

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 13 June, 2014 None comments

I was craving granola recently as I haven’t made it in quite some time. I love homemade granola with vanilla coconut milk. So delicious on a hot summer day for breakfast or even a healthy snack.

I started eating this about 3 times a day as something about it is so light and healthy yet delicious and fulfilling all at the same time. I go on spurts where I cannot get enough of cereal. This happens more often when summer approaches and I do not want a heavy meal.

I hope you find this just as satisfying as I do!

Ingredients:

6 cups cooking oats
2 cups bran flakes
2 cups shredded coconut
¼ cup chia seed
¼ cup flax seed
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup cashews
½ cup pecans
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup dried blueberries
½ cup dried strawberries
2 ½ cups honey
1 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl add oats, bran flakes, coconut, nuts and seeds.

Add in blueberries and strawberries.

Stir well and add vegetable oil and toss again.

Stir in honey and mix really well. Once mixed, dump mixture into a large dish; preferably a 10×15. Bake for 18 minutes. Stir mixture and bake another 18 minutes. Depending on how dark the mixture is after the second set of baking, you can bake it another 10 minutes or simply be done. I enjoy a little bit of crunch to my granola and do the three rounds of baking.

Once bake transfer granola IMMEDIATELY to container to allow to cool. If you leave granola in dish to cool down, you will have a heck of a time getting it out as the honey loves to stick to the glass.

Mmmm I love granola. I always eat a cup of granola fresh out of the oven and add a few blueberries.

Enjoy this great sweet yet nutty delicious cereal and I know your kids will love it just as much as my son! Mmmm good!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 12 June, 2014 None comments

I love Taquitos but these are even better because they are not fried but BAKED. Sometimes I long for a simple meal not only for one night, but for the entire week. Sometimes cooking dinner after a long day of chasing kids, doing household chores and running errands is the last thing I want to do. If many of you are in the same boat, I hope you enjoy this easy recipe that the whole family will devour.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded (Canned chicken works great!)
1 can diced chilies
1 can olives, chopped
1 cup mayo
½ cup blue cheese dressing
Dash of Paprika
¼ tsp garlic salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
6-8 flour tortillas

In a medium size bowl, combine chicken, chilies, olives, paprika, garlic salt and salt and pepper.

Mix well and add mayo.

In a small bowl add cream and soften in the microwave.

Mix blue cheese with softened cream cheese. Mix with chicken.

Add enough mixture to tortillas and roll up. I fill them pretty full as this is our main dish.

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and crispy. If you want them extra crispy, turn on the broiler and broil each side until it’s reached desired crispness. :)

Split Pea Soup

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 11 June, 2014 None comments

Ham and Split Pea soup! Yummy yum yum! Great for a day such as today when the weather cools down, a soft mist of rain comes through and you just want something comforting.

Ingredients:

1 bag of split peas
1 ham bone
½ diced onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium carrot, chopped (optional)
1 bay leaf
½ tsp garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
1 quart chicken broth

In a crockpot add all ingredients and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours.

You can’t go wrong with split pea soup especially when served with my English Muffin Bread toasted.

Thanks to startcooking.com

Enjoy!

Bacon Pot Pie

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 10 June, 2014 None comments

My husband was craving my chicken pot pie but requested it with bacon this time. So, I took my creativity and put a twist on this to help make an entirely delicious pot pie with bacon.

He was fully satisfied by this pot pie that he actually ate leftovers more than once. He is not a leftover man, so when he eats leftovers multiple times that’s when I know he is in love.

What makes this dish so incredible is the bacon mixed with the beef flavor. If you are a bacon lover, you couldn’t ask for a better dish!

Ingredients:

1-2 cup chopped chicken ( used rotisserie)
3 cups vegetables choice (or frozen vegetables)
½ lb bacon
¼ cup chia seeds
1 TBSP flax seed
1-2 TBSP Beef Broth Better Than Bouillon
2-3 cups milk
1-2 TBSP flour
Pie Crust

On a broiler pan lined with foil, bake bacon at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until reached desired crispness.

Chop chicken into large chunks and place in a large sauce pan.

Add mixed vegetables. I used carrots, corn, beans, peas, edamame and lima beans.

Add bacon.

Add chia seeds.

Begin to cook mixture until heated through. Once vegetables are cooked add in 1 large TBSP of Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.

Add in 2-3 cups milk and heat thoroughly until beef mixture is melted.

In a small dish mix 1 tbsp flour with the cream mixture and whisk until no lumps remain. Pour into vegetables and allow to thicken. If mixture isn’t thick enough repeat process with flour until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the crust follow this recipe:

Pie Crust

In a greased pie plate add the crust and filling.

Top with pie crust and pinch edges together.

Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until crust is golden brown and middle is bubbly.

ENJOY!!!!

Gorgonzola Pecan Chicken Pizza

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 9 June, 2014 None comments

That’s right ladies, I just said Gorgonzola Pecan Chicken pizza with a delicious garlic cream sauce. This pizza is deliciously “gourmet” but it is definitely Delightfully Doable.

My husband and I were going to take Cooper to the park after he got off work on Friday but due to his tardiness we opted for a long walk to the store and back to rent a movie. Cooper has been begging for walks on a daily basis so we take advantage of it as much as we can. We were going to pack a picnic and eat at the park and while that didn’t happen, my husband was still very pleased with the pizza I had made. He said he would eat that everyday because it’s that good. I was very pleased with his response to this dish.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breasts, chopped
Paprika
Garlic Salt
1 tsp taco seasoning (optional)
4 oz cream cheese
2-3 cups milk
2 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp flour
½ cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup chives, chopped
Crust- homemade or store bought

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season raw chicken breast with paprika, garlic salt and taco seasoning. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear.

Once chicken is cooked, turn oven to 425 degrees.

Meanwhile, add garlic and cream cheese to sauce pan and begin to melt on low heat.

While garlic is cooking and cream cheese is melting add in butter.

Heat until fully melted on low heat still.

In a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup milk with flour and whisk until no lumps are found. Add flour mixture and remaining milk to cream cheese and heat on med-low heat until mixture begins to thicken.

If mixture is too thick, add a little more milk. If mixture is too runny, repeat the whisking of flour in a separate bowl to prevent lumps. It will thicken as it continues to heat through, so make sure not to add too much flour.

Once thickened, add in Gorgonzola cheese and stir.

Chop chicken.

Add chicken to cream sauce and heat through.

In a large 9×13 greased baking dish, add pizza crust (for homemade, follow this recipe)

Top with chicken cream sauce. Add chopped pecans, chives and sprinkle with additional Gorgonzola cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy with a fresh garden salad!

All-Purpose Pie Crust

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 8 June, 2014 None comments

This recipe can be used for anything requiring a pie crust. It’s the best multi-use recipe ever.

Ingredients:

This recipe is for a full pie cover* (see below)

3 cups flour
1 cup cold butter
2 Egg Yokes
4 tbsp cold water
2 tsp salt
¼ cup granulated sugar (optional)

Begin making crust by adding flour and butter to food processor. Once the mixture is crumbly add in egg yoke, water, salt, and sugar. Mix until well incorporated. (Dough may be sticky)

Divide dough into two parts. On a floured surface, knead additional flour from the counter into dough until no longer sticky. Roll dough large enough to fit your pie plate.

Place dough into bottom of dish leaving enough room over the sides to pinch together with the top of the pie dough. Set aside.

It’s okay if your crust falls apart on the edges. You will not notice it once you add your filling and pinch the edges together.

Fill the insides and top with remaining pie crust. Pinch edges together. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until the middle in bubbly and crust is golden brown.

Here are some delicious recipes that go great with this crust:

Egg Tart, Chicken Pot Pie, Bacon Pot Pie, Cherry Pie

*If you are making a dish that does not require the top part of the crust, cut the recipe in half.

Grilled Pork Chops

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 6 June, 2014 None comments

We decided to grill pork chops the other night as neither of us have done this before. We went for a LONG walk through the woods on a trail that followed the river. It was the best walk! It was not too hot and Cooper was so excited to keep up with the water and see waterfalls along the way. Ending at a viewpoint, we took him out on the cliff to let him watch the boats zoom by. He enjoyed watching this as he hasn’t ever seen boats in action before. It was really fun to watch him light up as he soaked in this new experience. As we walked back, it was 7 pm before we arrived home. So we decided to do a quick dinner with pork chops and grilled vegetables.

It amazes me how you can have an incredible meal in such a short period of time. The barbecue has become my best friend. :)

Ingredients:

4 Pork Chops
Garlic Salt
Salt & Pepper
Montreal Seasoning (optional)
Fresh green beans
Fresh Corn
Fresh Edamame beans
EVOO

Sprinkle the pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic salt and Montreal seasoning. In a vegetable basket for the grill, add in your vegetables and toss with EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic salt.

Grill both the chops and the veggies until pork is still tender, being careful not to over cook.

Simple as that! Eat, drink and be full!

Yum, Yum!

Hot Dog Hash

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 5 June, 2014 None comments

As you all know I love new versions of hot dogs. The same routine of a dog and a bun isn’t always super exciting. As I love to experiment, I took what I had in the refrigerator and came up with two different kinds of dogs: Hot Dog Hash and Hot Dog Mac.

They both were delicious! You can serve this recipe for breakfast, brunch or dinner.

Ingredients: