Berry Cobbler

The Farmer’s Market is a dangerous place for someone like me.

I’m like a 6 year old in that bright colors just make me happy, and then I want to take them all home. So, when I saw these blackberries at the Farmer’s Market last weekend I had to have them even though I did not have a CLUE what to do with them.

Aren’t they pretty? 

Anyway, making a cobbler was suggested and I obliged mostly because it makes me think of my grandmother on my dad’s side who used to make FAMOUS cobblers that, I can promise, are nowhere near as amazing as this one. I also remember she made a fantastic cup of tea, but I digress.

Here’s what you need (from The Pioneer Woman)…

½ stick of butter, melted

1 cup of sugar (plus a little more for the top)

1 cup of flour

1 cup of whole milk

2 cups of fresh (or frozen, but I would aim for fresh) blackberries**

I honestly don’t know how many blackberries I used. I just used all the ones in the giant carton the lady at the Farmer’s Market gave me, but according to the recipe, 2 cups is the way to go.

Feel free to substitute blackberries with your favorite berry - strawberries, blueberries, etc. would all work in this. Peaches probably would, too.

Here’s what you do…

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse your berries if you are using fresh ones.

2. Melt your butter and mix it with your milk. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour and sugar). 

3. Pour butter/milk into the flour/sugar and mix well.

4. Put your clean blackberries in the bottom of a baking dish.

5. Pour the mixture over top and spread evenly over the blackberries. Sprinkle a little sugar on top.

6. Bake for 1 hour, or until the top is brown and the berries are bubbling on the side.

7. Enjoy!

I DARE you not to have this with a side of vanilla ice cream. It's the perfect summer dessert. 

YUM. 

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to fully appreciate “fancy” food as much as I appreciate “kid” food. Mac and Cheese, Sloppy Joes, Spaghetti and Meatballs…I love them all SO much.

Meatballs. They are not the most attractive food, but they certainly make up for it with flavor. YUM!

I also tweaked the homemade marinara recipe, so I’m throwing that in this post, too. It’s a good thing to make and save for a rainy day. Or any day.

Here’s what you need…

For the meatballs (adapted from How Sweet It Is):

2 lbs of lean ground beef*

1 egg

2 tbsp of olive oil

2/3 cup of romano cheese
7-8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp of dry basil
2 tsp dry parsley
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/3 cup of breadcrumbs
3 cups of marinara (recipe below), or your favorite sauce

*I used lean to save calories, however, if you like juicy meatballs (weird thing to say) use beef with more fat. You could also use ground turkey or chicken.

For the sauce (adapted from Food Network):

1 yellow onion, chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup of red wine
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (I love San Marzano)
1 and 1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 sprig of rosemary
6 basil leaves, chopped

Here's what you do for the meatballs...

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except marinara. Toss a few times with your hands to combine.

3. Begin rolling the meat into bowls and place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. You should end up with 12-15 meatballs depending on how big your make them.

4. Pour about half the marinara sauce (if you're using my recipe) or 1 and 1/2 cups into the dish with your meatballs.
5. Bake for 35 minutes and serve with whole wheat pasta with additional sauce on top.

For the sauce...

1. Saute onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
2. Add the red wine and cook on high heat until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, rosemary, and basil and sauté on low heat for about 15-20 minutes.

4. Enjoy with pasta and meatballs or whatever else you want to use it for.

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday!!

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Chicken and Vegetable Skillet

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend!

This dish is so simple, but so full of flavor. You know why?

BACON. A simple 2 slices!

It makes everything better. I’ve said that before and I will say it again.

Here’s what you need (from How Sweet It Is)…

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 slices of bacon sliced into small pieces

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 medium zucchini, sliced into pieces

10 baby red potatoes, chopped into pieces

2 ears of corn cut off the cob*

5 garlic cloves, minced

Salt

Pepper

*You can use 1 cup of frozen corn, but boiling the fresh corn and cutting it off the cob tastes a million times better.

*Also, use whatever vegetables you want! I loved all these, so that is what I put in.

I used an oven safe skillet so everything went right from the skillet to the oven, but you can use a regular skillet then transfer everything into an oven safe dish.

My oven safe skillet courtesy of Williams Sonoma

Here’s what you do…

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Chop up all your vegetables and put them in a bowl and season them with salt and pepper. Keep the garlic and corn separate. 

3. Put your bacon into the oven safe skillet and sauté until cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Set aside.

4. Add your vegetables to the pan and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, add garlic and sauté for another minute. Remove from heat and pour into another bowl. Set aside.

5. Season your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Add to skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side.

6. Once the chicken has cooked, add vegetables, bacon, and corn on top. 

7. Place in the oven and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

This is a great dish for the summer and the leftovers are the best. Have a great short week!!

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Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich with Garlic Basil Mayo

Also known as the MOST AMAZING SANDWICH EVER. No lie.

This sandwich is so good it tastes like it came from a restaurant. The main difference is this is slightly healthier and A LOT cheaper. We loved this sandwich so much I made it twice in the same week.

Plus, we have all this delicious basil Justin grew from seeds out on the balcony. It is the best tasting basil ever (apparently everything in this post is the best tasting thing ever).

I know it’s more work than you would usually put into a sandwich, but I promise you it is so worth it.

Here’s what you need (adapted from My Life as a Mrs)…

For the mayo:

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

½ cup of mayonnaise (I used reduced fat made with olive oil mayo from Kraft)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Dash of salt

Dash of pepper

Mix all these ingredients together and refrigerate, preferably a few hours before you make the sandwich.

 For the sandwich:

Whole wheat bread (you want it to be thicker)

2 pieces of bacon per sandwich

1 large piece of boneless skinless chicken per 2 sandwiches

1 piece of swiss cheese per sandwich

Lettuce

Onion

Whatever else you want to put on your sandwich!

Here’s what you do…

1. I bake my bacon because it makes it crispier and I don't make a huge mess. So, I preheat my oven to 350 and then throw in my bacon on a baking sheet for 20 minutes. If you cook bacon a different way, do that and set it aside.

2. Tenderize your chicken by pounding it with a large pan. Season it with whatever you want, but I found salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides was PERFECT.

3. Grill your chicken (or you can use a pan) for about 6 1/2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Allow to rest for a few minutes, then cut into pieces.

4. Turn on your broiler. Toast your bread, and on 1 piece spread on mayo (you want a decent amount), put on as much chicken as you would like, and top with a slice of cheese. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

5. Remove from the broiler and top with bacon.

6. On the other slice of toasted bread, spread on mayo, and add toppings (we just used onion and lettuce).

7. Put them together, slice in half and ENJOY!

This is definitely my new favorite sandwich. And I have been using the leftover garlic-basil mayo on all my other sandwiches - it is delicious.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week so far, but if you are not, this sandwich will make it MUCH better :)

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Pho with Chicken

I know, I know, it's summer. WHY am I posting a soup recipe?

It’s because I’m fairly convinced this soup has healing powers. After tasting it, all I could think was "I wish I had this the last time I had a cold."

Make this and freeze it for a sick day. You won’t regret it.

Here’s what you need (from Eat, Live, Run)…

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken cut into cubes

5 cloves of garlic, diced

1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated (I used my cheese grater)

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 baby bok choy, chopped*

A sprinkle of salt

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 jalapeno, diced*

3 green onions, sliced

2 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

½ an 8 oz. package of chinese noodles (they should be pre-divided in the package)

*You can chop all of the bok choy - stems and all

*Leave out the jalapeño if you don't like spicy

Here's what you do...

1. Cook your chinese noodles in salted water until cooked through (this only took 3-4 minutes). Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. You add them at the very end.

2. In a large stockpot, sauté your garlic and ginger in the 1 tbsp of sesame oil for about 1 minute.

3. Add chicken, bok choy and a sprinkle of salt and stir for about 5 minutes, until your chicken is white, but not completely cooked through.

4. Add chicken broth, jalapeño (if using), and green onion. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5. Add soy sauce and rice vinegar. Allow to simmer for another 2-3 minutes to blend everything together.

6. Add cooked noodles, stir to mix with everything else and serve immediately or freeze.

7. Enjoy!

This soup was very filling, and I froze some for the next time I have a cold. I'll thank myself later :)

Happy Monday!

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