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Cooking w/ L+L – Bruschetta + Cheese Stuffed Chicken

03/10/2010 in What we're Cooking, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | No comments

Bruschetta + Cheese Stuffed Chicken is Slick’s favorite dinner entree that I make and it’s SOOOOO incredibly easy-peasy.  The recipe can be found on KRAFT’s website (below, too, obv.) and was given to me from a culinary whiz colleague.  I made it – Slick loved it – and I passed it along to two of my best girlfriends, who have since made it for their husbands.  Their husbands raved about it, too!  It’s a little ridiculous how simple this recipe is, but it doesn’t look or taste simple!  Promise.

INGREDENTS:

- 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
- 8 small boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (2 lbs.)
- 1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

DIRECTIONS:

Mix tomatoes, 1/2 cup of cheese and basil in a medium bowl.  Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

Place chicken breasts on a cutting board.  Spread chicken with the stuffing mixture. 

Starting at the narrow end of the chicken, tightly roll up each breast.  Place the chicken, seam-side down, in a 9×13-inch baking dish.  Drizzle with dressing.

Bake 40 minutes on 350 degrees or until the chicken is done (165 degrees).  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake five more minutes or until the cheese is melted.  

voila!

Cool – serve – ENJOY!!

I hope it’s as big of a crowd pleaser for you as it’s been for me!  :)

xx, L

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Cooking w/ L + L: {semi-} Homemade Cupcakes!

03/01/2010 in Guilty Pleasures, Tricks of the Trade, What we're Cooking by Lauren | 1 comment

You know the drill: I don’t cook. The best thing I make is reservations. I use my oven for storage. Yadda yadda yadda…

However, I recognize that there are times in which cooking is necessary and a smart girl always has a few tricks in her arsenal. For instance, last week was The Ginger’s birthday and and excellent excuse for my famous cupcakes!

Plus, making cupcakes is a RIOT:

Funfetti!

I’m hesitant to give away all my tricks of the trade, but doctoring up a cake mix is pretty darn simple. If I can do it, you can, too! (If you’re a super cook, you can just skip this post, because I’m going to write it r.e.a.l.l.y. simple for the culinarily challenged…like myself.)

Here’s what you need:

2 boxes yellow cake mix (I like Duncan Heins)
6 eggs
2 sticks (unsalted) butter
2 packages vanilla pudding mix
1 tub of milk chocolate frosting
1 tub of vanilla frosting
2c sour cream
Coarsely ground sea salt
Vanilla extract
Spatula
Muffin tins
Muffin cups
Hand-held mixer (I know, I couldn’t believe I had one, either!)

Suggested accoutrements:
Some type of round candy: I like the salted caramel balls by Choxie…found at Target…IF you can manage NOT to eat them all before you ice and decorate your cupcakes
Black and white sprinkles (separate)
Teeny tiny funnel

Ok, then it’s easy-squeezy. I do this in 2 batches.

1. Combine 1 box of cake mix, 1 stick of softened butter, 3 eggs, 1 package of pudding mix, 1c sour cream and a dash of vanilla extract, mix well and fill the muffin cups in your muffin tins about 3/4 full

(The box says it will make 24 cupcakes, but what they don’t mention that they will be weeny cupcakes. Fill ‘em fuller and each recipe will only make about 18 or so. Particularly if you, um, “taste” the batter. A lot. Don’t judge me.)

2. Bake according to the instructions on the box.

3. Repeat and let all cupcakes cool on cooking racks (I can’t believe I had these, either.) You’ll have about 32 nice, big cupcakes.

4. While the cupcakes are baking/cooling, spoon your chocolate and vanilla icing into two separate bowls. To each: add a tablespoon or so vanilla extract and a few grinds of sea salt. Make sure you taste along the way, so it doesn’t get too vanilla-y or, yuck, too salty. But ton’t be shy, either. The salt is perfect for cutting the supersweet frosting (Thanks to Cari of Sugar Sugar for the tip!)

5. Once the cupcakes have cooled, ice 1/2 with chocolate and 1/2 with vanilla. Then I decorate like this:

  • 6 chocolate frosting with white chocolate round candy on top
  • 6 chocolate frosting with white sprinkles JUST in the middle of the cupcake (use the funnel)
  • 6 vanilla frosting with chocolate round candy on top
  • 6 vanilla frosting with chocolate sprinkles on top

Then I arranged them in my double-decker cupcake caddy (also found at Target) and voilà!

BONUS: You’ll have about 8 extra cupcakes. Throw a couple of those bad boys in some Tupperware and a nice little note and BAM! Perfect “just because” gifty-gift for doormen, fabulous coworkers, neighbors, etc. Luckily I had some hot pink sprinkles on hand, perfect for Kindredly’s birthday last week!

I may not be a domestic goddess…
…but, as DK says, “fake it till you make it!”

xx, LK

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Cooking w/ L+L- “Good Personality” Dip

12/29/2009 in What we're Cooking by Lindsay | 2 comments

Formerly called “Ugly” Dip, we’ve since renamed one of Slick’s favorite football-game-watching eats to something, well, just a little softer.  We aren’t trying to beat around the bush here – it’s kind of ugly – but we know there’s more to it than meets the eye.  It’s one of the simplest edible items I’ve ever thrown together and it’s quite a crowd pleaser on game day.  The recipe is Slick’s sister’s, and I’m positive she’d be more than happy for me to share it with all of you lovely readers.

“GOOD PERSONALITY” DIP

Ingredients:

- 2 cans of white shoepeg corn – drained

Ugly Dip 001
- 2 cans of black beans – drained and rinsed

Ugly Dip 002

- 6-8 ounces of feta cheese

Ugly Dip 005

- bunch of green chives – chopped (obviously i’m not a fantastic chopper…)

Ugly Dip 006

- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup of olive or canola oil

Ugly Dip 009

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and chill.  Drain wet ingredients before serving.  Serve with chips or crackers – my preference is Rosemary + Olive Oil Triskets.  Cooking just doesn’t get much simpler than this!

Good Personality Dip! VIOLA!

Good Personality Dip! VIOLA!

There’s nothing like a yummy dip to go along with a good football game!  Really – sports are mostly about the food anyway…  And, I mean that from the very bottom of my Texas-Longhorn-Dallas-Cowboy-loving heart.

untitled8copy8ij

Enjoy!

xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L- Candied Pecans

12/21/2009 in Entertaining, What we're Cooking by Lauren | 7 comments

So.  Here’s the story. Usually I am not the L writing these darling little culinary posts.  However, I was putting together a little southern themed gifty-gift and decided it desperately needed candied pecans (what is more southern than candied pecans?) and wanting absolutely nothing do to with a mall right now, I decided to make them.

Bonus! As I am prone to gross excess, of course I made way too many…but waste not want not – they’ve been just perfect for hostess gifts and holiday remembrances for my dry cleaner, doggie daycare, etc.!
Full-CrustedPecans
I can do this, you can too.  It was very easy.

Here’s the Q+DD on making 2lbs worth of candied pecans:

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1tbsp water
1tbsp vanilla extract
2lbs pecan halves
2 c. white sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 250.  Be sure you are not storing shoes or sweaters in oven before doing so. Grease 2 baking sheets.

In one big bowl whip the wet stuff (egg whites, water, vanilla) with a fork until it’s frothy.  In another big bowl mix the dry stuff (everything else)

Then, it’s easy-peasy. Dump the pecans into the egg mixture and use a fork to stir to coat them completely.  Then transfer them into the bowl with the sugar mixture and use a fork to stir to coat completely in the sugar.  Spread them onto your greased cookie sheets and pop those suckers in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes and bada-bing bada-boom!  You’re done.  Let them cool and transfer them to Tupperware or whatever you’re giving them in.  My mom suggested long cellophane bags with colorful ribbon, and that would have been lovely, but since we have the Container Store here in the A, I opted for these little windowed gift boxes:
giftbox
I used white raffia and black magic marker for my holiday greeting, but if you prefer something a little more festive you could use whatever you want.  Obviously.

I’m psyched that they are so easy to make because they’ve been a total crowd-pleaser and I think they’d be really cute in a bowl for guests in your home!  The hardest part is keeping your hands off them. Fact.

Happy holidays, y’all!

xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L – Brownie S’mores

12/09/2009 in What we're Cooking by Lindsay | 4 comments

Remember Adele?

"hello, again!"

"hello, again!"

You may recall Adele from such posts as Cooking w/ L+L – Guilt-Free Key Lime Pie.  She’s a fabulous cook and just happens to be my mother.  Adele’s talented at whipping up all kinds of culinary deliciousness, but she’s especially outstanding when it comes to desserts.  In fact, I made her Brownie S’mores for Slick’s family’s Thanksgiving Cookie Competition and won 3rd place!  (1st and 2nd were nearly impossible to beat…)

like mother, like daughter...

like mother, like daughter? (fingers crossed!)

Brownie S’mores are incredibly easy to prepare and are excellent comfort food when it’s chilly outside.  They even make for a yummy hostess gift for all those holiday parties you’ll be attending over the next few weeks.  You’ll have people screaming for s’more!!

(Fine, that was lame…)

Here’s the Q+DD on Adele’s Brownie S’mores:

Ingredients:

1 package of Duncan Hines fudge brownie mix + associates items (eggs, oil, etc.)
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of mini-marshmallows
6 Honey Maid graham cracker cookie rectangles in the “honey” flavor

Directions:

Cook brownies in a 9×13 glass pan according to the instructions to make “fudgy” brownies – not “cake” brownies.  Under-cook brownies by five minutes.  Take the brownies out of the over and evenly sprinkle on the chocolate chips.  Then, evenly sprinkle on the mini-marshmallows.  Put brownies back into the oven and cook for the remaining five minutes.

You will want to prepare the graham crackers while the brownies are cooking.  One rectangular graham cracker will break into four smaller pieces along the perforated lines on the cookie.  The graham crackers break easily, so I suggest using a very sharp knife to carefully cut them.  Cut between 20 – 24 small rectangles total. 

Once the brownies are cooked, quickly take them out of the oven and place on/ push down the graham cracker rectangles onto the marshmallows.  Be sure and place them onto the marshmallows a little spread out as this will make the brownies easier to cut when they are cooled.  I suggest cooling over night.  Once completely cooled, gently cut the brownies using a plastic knife (tends to work better for me than a regular knife as the marshmallows are difficult to cut).  Brownie S’mores are supposed to look a little messy, so it is okay if they aren’t cut perfectly.

voila!

voila!

They are best served with a glass of soy or regular milk.  Just like the ones we made at camp minus the fire minus bugs minus 104 degree Texas heat plus brownies!  Eat and enjoy! 

Happy cooking!  (Thanks, Mom!)  :)

xx, L

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It’s almost that time…

10/29/2009 in What we're Cooking, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 2 comments

Every year before Halloween, I carve a pumpkin.  I’m not very good at it.  In fact, I’m a terrible carver – but I always insist on doing it.  Personally, I prefer to go with the traditional droopy-eyed, snaggletoothed jack-o’-lantern…

hello, jack!

hello, jack!

…but Slick bought some fancy carving book, so we shall carve the Mona Lisa into our pumpkin this year.

hello, mona?

hello, mona?

Really, though, if we have to do something more advanced than my usual, I am going to push for one of these two winners:

pumpkin eating pumpkin

pumpkin eating pumpkin

puking pumpkin

puking pumpkin

(The second one is my favorite.)  My only hesitation about it is that one of the most fun parts about carving a pumpkin is roasting the seeds!

yum!!

yum!!

It’s sooooo simple, too!  Here’s all you need for a fun Halloween snack:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups of pumpkin seeds, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

DIRECTIONS
Let pumpkin seeds dry on paper towels.  Toss cleaned pumpkin seeds with oil and salt.  Spread out on a cookie sheet.  Bake in a 250° oven for about one hour or until the pumpkin seeds are dry, stirring occasionally.  Tada!

If desired, season with one of the following:
garlic powder or garlic salt
seasoning salt
black pepper
salt free seasoning blend, such as Mrs. Dash brand
cayenne pepper
seasoning sal
Cajun seasoning blend
chili powder
Mexican style chili lime seasoning
Italian seasoning or other herbs
grated hard cheese such as Parmesan

Happy Halloween, y’all!

xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L – PB+B+H Sandwiches

10/26/2009 in What we're Cooking, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 4 comments

I grew up going to sleepaway camp every summer.  My friends from camp are among my closest, even to this day, and the memories we made over the years are some of my fondest.  Our parents would drop us off at the front gates, we’d all get checked for lice (don’t worry – I passed every time) and then we’d run amok for four weeks.  = Heaven.

Camp Pictures 005

Although I long for them, my camp days are over.  While I can’t go back and relive my glory days at Greene Family Camp, I can always remember them through food!  I can safely say that I will NEVER drink bug juice again, but I also know that I will never stop eating my camp favorite: peanut butter + banana + honey sandwiches!  Fact.

Elvis knew what he was doing…

PB+B+H Sandwich

PB+B+H Sandwich

Here’s the Q+DD on How to Make the Greatest Sandwich in the World

Ingredients:
2 Slices of Bread (At camp we used white bread – now I would only ever consider wheat.)
1 Tablespoon of Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter (Or two, whatev.)
1 Ripe Banana
Squeezeable Honey (Personally, I prefer the kind in the bear.)
Love (Lots of it)

Directions:
Make a sandwich.  Add love.  Eat.  Repeat.  (Toast as desired.)

Seriously, though, PB+B+H sandwiches are mouthwateringly amazing.  Worth every calorie – and they will make you feel like a kid again.

Camp Pictures 098

Enjoy!

xx, L

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Cooking with L+L – Banana Nut Muffins

10/10/2009 in Entertaining, What we're Cooking by Lauren | 2 comments

(I never thought I’d get to write one of these!)

So, here’s a little story for you. My sister and brother-in-law came to visit last weekend and, knowing my home is completely devoid of food…

emptyfridge…requested a few items including fresh bananas. Being prone to gross excess, I bought way too much of everything and though Katie took a lot of the groceries home, she left the extra bananas.  Her voice heavy with sarcasm as she said, “Maybe you’ll make banana bread!”

Well listen here, seestah,  I did!

Me (maybe not)

I don't know what got into me!

Let me tell you:  if I can do this, you can too.  In fact, for normal people, it wouldn’t have even required a trip to the grocery store.  For me, however, I had to purchase things like sugar and flour.  Don’t judge me.

OK here’s the Q+DD:

You need:
1 stick of butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 large ripe bananas (mashed- I did this with a fork)
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup wheat, 1 cup white)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 plain yogurt

Oh, and the following (which I cannot BELIEVE I already had): muffin tins, cooling rack, electric mixer, spatula

Then, it’s easy-peasy:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well, then add the bananas and beat until smooth.

4. Place flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in another bowl and mix together.

5. Add flour mixture and yogurt to egg mixture and beat briefly – just until dry ingredients are mixed in. Don’t overmix – it’s ok if the batter is lumpy. Stir in nuts.

6. Spoon batter into prepared pan, so that each cup is about 2/3 full.

7. Bake 15 to 18 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the muffins are golden-brown and pebbly on top and are firm to the touch.

8. Cool muffins for a few minutes in the pans, then transfer to the cooling racks or serve them warm. Voila!
banananutmuffinsI’m bringing mine to Brooke and La at lunch today…who may actually faint when they hear my oven was turned on…

xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L – Anj’s Famous Dessert Pizza

09/27/2009 in What we're Cooking by Lindsay | 5 comments

As previously mentioned and tweeted, I have a problem with pizza.  And, I am still trying to understand why it’s not healthy when it incorporates all the essential food groups: hello, bread/ dairy/ meat/ veggie/ fruit (sometimes – love the pineapple)/ fats and sweets (def).  Anyway, pizza is not only an incredibly entree, it also makes for a delicious and eye-catching dessert!  One of my favorite peeps in the world, the soon-to-be Mrs. Kastorf, makes a delicious dessert pizza – and it won over her culinary genius/ fabulous finance!  (Hi, A & K!)

the soon-to-be Mrs. Kastorf!

the soon-to-be Mrs. Kastorf!

Here’s the Q+DD on Anjali’s Famous Dessert Pizza

Ingredients & Directions:

1 package of sugar cookie dough
8 ounces of softened fat-free cream cheese
1 cup of confectioners’ sugar (you could probably use 1/2 the amount of sugar)
1 large peach, sliced
1 large green apple, sliced
1 large orange, sectioned
1/2 pint of fresh strawberries, sliced
6 ounces of fresh blueberries
6 ounces of fresh raspberries
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup of chocolate syrup  (Anj sometimes uses melted chocolate instead of the syrup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Flatten cookie dough onto a 6-inch pizza pan.  Bake until firm to touch – about 11 to 15 minutes.  Cool.  In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar.  Spread the baked cookie with the cream cheese mixture and decorate with sliced fruit.  In a small bowl, combine melted white chocolate with chocolate syrup.  Top the pizza with remaining berries and chocolate mixture.  Slice and serve immediately.  Yields between 8 – 10 servings.

Anj gets creative with the fruit design below:

working on anj's dessert pizza

working on anj's dessert pizza

Here’s the finished product w/ microwaved sugar-free apricot preserves brushed onto it:

voila!

voila!

Enjoy with a glass of Chardonnay – immediately followed by an intense sugar rush (then crash) and a mandatory 30-minute cat nap.  Also delicious, but totally unhealthy, for breakfast! :)   Thanks, Anj!

xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L – Guilt-Free Key Lime Pie

08/21/2009 in What we're Cooking, What we're Doing by Lindsay | 3 comments

I am road tripping this weekend to Florida to see Slick’s family, and I just can’t arrive empty-handed!  I made some cake balls w/ sprinkles (on Slick’s recommendation) and my mommy’s famous key lime pie.  (When in Florida – eat as the Floridian’s eat?  Slick wouldn’t let me bring fried alligator…  Oh well.)
 
This pie is another one of those unbelievably easy recipes that impresses!  It’s tart and sweet, yellow (the color of real key lime pie) and it’s not too tough on the waistline.
 
Here’s the Q+DD on Adele’s Guilt-Free Key Lime Pie:
 
Ingredients
1 Keebler graham cracker pie crust (w/ two extra servings)
2 cans of fat free sweetened condensed milk
2 whole eggs
1 cup of Real Lime juice
1 key lime (or lime if you can’t find a key lime)
IMG_4980
1 – Stir together condensed milk, eggs and lime juice for about two minutes/ until mixture is completely smooth.
IMG_4981
2 – Pour the mixture into pie crust.  It will fill up to about two inches from the top of the crust.
IMG_4982
3 – Cook for 20 minutes at 325 degrees.  Then, place the pie in the fridge to cool for two hours.
IMG_4984
4 – Cut key lime (or lime) to fan on top of the pie once cooled.   You are welcome to use your creative license with the decoration…
IMG_4986
 
Serve and enjoy!  Happy cooking!
P.S. This is Adele’s high school photo.  Isn’t she divine?!  :)
MOMMY!

MOMMY!

 
xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L – Famous Rotel Queso Dip

07/27/2009 in Appetizers, Entertaining, What we're Cooking by Lindsay | 3 comments

They say that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  Slick will tell you that it’s actually through his rib cage, but he’d prefer you consider the stomach route first…
 
Last night, I made a big taco dinner for him and a few of my girlfriends.  As usual, my Famous Rotel Queso Dip was the show-stealer. 
 
Here’s the Q+DD on my incredibly simple Tex-Mex gift from G-d:
 
Ingredients:
 
- 1 lb. pasteurized processed cheese (Velveeta) cut into 1″ cubes
- 1 can (10 oz.) diced Rotel tomatoes/ green chilies
 
Directions:
 
1) Combine ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl.
 
2) Microwave on HIGH for five minutes.  Stir once at 2.5 minutes.
 
Serve and enjoy!!
rotel_cheese_dip
 
Told you so…
 
xx, L

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Cooking w/ L+L – Georgia Cake Balls

07/20/2009 in Entertaining, Gifts, Guilty Pleasures, What we're Cooking by Lindsay | 4 comments

This may be hard for some of you to believe, but this weekend I BAKED!  In fact, Dana and I baked up a storm.  Some people are contracting swine flu – I caught baking fever!!
 
Here’s the Q+DD on my Georgia Cake Balls:
 
1 – Bake the cake according to the instructions on the box.
IMG_4767
 
2 - Let the cake cool completely.  Once cooled, crumble it up in a large bowl.
IMG_4768
 
3 – Add in the entire container of cream cheese frosting and thoroughly mix with cake.  (Listen, I never said this was a Weight Watcher’s recipe…)  You may want to use your hands, but be prepared for it to be nice and messy (and delicious)!
= domestic princess

= domestic princess

 
4 - Roll the mixture into quarter-sized balls and place on wax/ parchment paper (should make approximately 50 balls). 
IMG_4774
 
5 – Heat up the dipping chocolate as instructed on tubs.  Place toothpicks into cake balls and dip them into chocolate.  (I ran really low on the dipping chocolate, so I’d suggest buying four tubs.)  Replace on wax/ parchment paper.  Repeat as necessary.
VOILA!

VOILA!

6 – Refrigerate for cooling.  Enjoy!
 
Ingredients*:
 
- 1 box of Betty Crocker red velvet cake mix + associated ingredients (eggs and vegetable oil)
- 1 container of cream cheese frosting
- 4 tubs of Baker’s dipping chocolate
- Wax or parchment paper
- Toothpicks
*(Seriously, that’s all folks…)
 
They are soooooooooo delicious and were easy enough to make – even I could do it!  I will say, however, that my fingers are still dyed a bit red…  Slick, a huge UF fan, would probably never reach for anything red/ black, nonetheless he seemed to really like the cake balls!  Happy, happy cooking!
 
P.S. I guess I always knew I was going to be the next Martha! :)
 
Halloween circa 2005 = jailbird Martha Stewart costume

Halloween circa 2005 = jailbird Martha Stewart costume

 
xx, L

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