Happy Father’s Day!

I hope everyone out there had a great Father’s Day! We played in the pool all weekend and ate lots of delicious food. I know I’ve been M.I.A for a bit, but we have been busy with summer fun and laziness around here. Lots of repeat meals that are fast and easy i.e. burgers, spaghetti, stir-fry etc. I hope everyone is enjoying summer! Have a great week!

Peach Muffins

I made these last week, and they were super yummy! I shared with my amazing neighbors, since I am the only peach lover in the family.

Peach Muffins

Ingredients

4 peaches
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 regular sized muffin tins. These would be a great as mini-muffins or bread as well.
Mix peaches, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the peach mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!

Quiet Dinner for Mom

Tonight the girls had tumbling practice, and I dropped them off. The girls wanted eggs and cereal for dinner, and I knew that I needed something else besides that. I contemplated sushi or a gyro, but then I saw this cute little Mexican restaurant on the corner of one of the shopping centers near their gym and decided to go in for a little treat for myself. I don’t get to do that very often; go out to dinner by myself. I selected the artichoke dip and crab cakes. I may have even had a small margarita 😉 Armando’ Caribe in Duluth, Ga is amazing!

Walnut Banana Bread

Happy Wednesday! I found some fruit that had seen better days, so I decided to do a little baking.

Up first, the banana bread…
Ingredients

3-4 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a loaf pan. These would be great in muffin tins as well.
Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour and fold in the walnuts. Be careful not to over-mix!
In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.

Bake for 60 minutes

Next up, my peach Muffin recipe. See ya soon!

One Pan Cheesy Chili Mac

Want a easy quick dinner that only dirties one pan? Try this delicious recipe that comes together in no time! I made this last night, and it was a hit! Plenty of leftovers for lunch or another fast dinner!

One Pan Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
2 Tablespoons Onion powder
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Chili Flakes
1 Pound Ground Beef
2 Cups Water
1 large can of Diced Tomatoes
1 box Elbow Macaroni
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half
1-8 Ounce Package Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
Salt and Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 12 inch nonstick skillet add the ground beef and seasonings and brown lightly on medium , breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and water to the skillet and stir to mix. Add in the pasta and cover, increasing the heat to medium high. Cook the mixture, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Continue to cook until the pasta is tender, about 9-12 minutes.

Take the skillet off the heat and add the heavy cream and 1 cup of the cheese mixture. Taste to make sure it is seasoned properly/to your liking. You could always more chili flakes. Top the mixture with remaining cheese and pop in to the oven under broil until the cheese melts and turns bubbly brown.

Crispy Chicken Thighs and Pan Roasted Potatoes

Hello, friends! Last Monday of the school year for us, so we are all ready for this week to end…then on to SUMMER BREAK! I guess you guys can tell I’m just a little bit excited about that one. So last night I made this delicious one pan dish (plus a couple of sides). Crispy chicken and perfectly cooked buttery potatoes? Yes, please! It was a big hit and I have just enough left for a leftover meal this week!

Crispy Chicken Thighs and Pan Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

4-6 chicken thighs or breasts (bone in and skin on)
1 small bag, about 20 small whole yellow potatoes
1/2 stick of butter =)
liberal amounts of salt and pepper to your taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a cast iron pan. Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken skin side down and cook until it is crispy, about 10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Flip to other side and cook for 5 minutes. Remove chicken and add the rest of the butter to the pan. Then add the potatoes.

Situate the chicken on top of the potatoes. The potatoes should be like a bed for your chicken. Place in the oven and cook for about 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken thighs are cooked to 165.

Serve with another veggie and in possibly macaroni and cheese. This is a Sunday dinner, so why not!

Baked Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sausage and Mushrooms

Happy Monday! Going to be catching up on a few recipes and cooking up some new ones this week. On Saturday, I made this scrumptious baked pasta with ground sausage and mushrooms with pre-made sauce I bought at the Farmer’s Market. The noodles were fresh whole wheat spaghetti (I cooked them for about 5 minutes). I sauteed a container of mushrooms with a pound of ground sausage until browned (about 10 minutes). Then I combined the sauce and noodles in a baking dish and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. The last 5 minutes I turned it on broil so the top of the cheese could get all brown and bubbly! Can’t get much easier than that!

Happy customers!