Our Favorite Summer Recipes 2013

Well, it's Labor Day weekend and the end of summer. I don't quite know where this summer went. But I am eager for fall. Cooler temperatures, autumn leaves, comfy sweaters and cute boots. It's my favorite season for cooking and baking. Apples and pumpkins, cinnamon and cloves, so much yummy goodness. Plus, Eric and I are getting married September 20th!

 As I goodbye to summer, I put together a list of our favorite summer recipes.

1. Smores Pie
Eric made this for the Fourth of July/my birthday. There are millions of smores variations out there--cookies, cakes, bars, pies . . . but I don't think any of them hold a candle to this particular smores pie. I knew as soon as I took my first bite that this is a dish we will be making every summer from now on.

Ingredients:
1 store-bought graham cracker pie crust
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg, room temperature
pinch of salt
7-ounce (a little less than a cup) marshmallow fluff

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the chocolate chips in a large bowl. In a heavy saucepan bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 1 minute.

Whisk the chocolate and cream together until it's well combined and smooth. Add the egg and a pinch of salt to the mixture and whisk until well incorporated. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie crust.

Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chocolate is almost set--the center should be a little bit jiggly.

Place the pie on a rack and allow to cool for about one hour.

Add the marshmallow fluff on top of the chocolate layer and smooth with a spatula. Set the oven to broil and place the pie back in the oven for just 2 or 3 minutes or until the top of the fluff turns a golden brown.

Allow pie to cool for about ten minutes before serving.

2. Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake
If you read this blog, you know I have a mad love for zucchini. But even I was surprised by how much I loved this zucchini bake. I could easily made it a meal on its own--but that might just be me! I also love that this recipe is so easy to change up. Switch out some spices and you have a new delicious dish. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
2 tablespoons onion, minced
3/4 cup panko

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degree. Spray a 9x9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine cheddar, Parmesan, basil, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with the zucchini slices. Sprinkle about a quarter of the herb mixture on top of the slices. Add a layer of tomatoes using about half of the sliced tomatoes the sprinkle with a quarter of the herb mixture. Repeat the layers.

Sprinkle the panko on top of the casserole.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the panko topping is crisp.


3. Homemade Pita Chips
This is one of those recipes I've been making for years, but never managed to get onto my blog until this past summer. These chips are easy to make and so much better than store-bought pita chips. I got my mom hooked on them a few summers ago and Eric can easily eat the entire batch himself in a single sitting if he lets himself.

Ingredients:
pita bread
olive oil
seasonings (I usually use garlic powder and a dash of cayenne pepper)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or lay a piece of parchment paper on it.

Pour some olive oil into a small bowl, add seasonings to taste, and mix to combine. Cut the pita bread into 6 or 8 wedges, depending on how large you want your chips. Separate each wedge into two pieces. With  pastry brush (or your fingers) lightly coat each side of the pita bread with the olive oil mixture and place on the cookie sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the chips turn a golden brown. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
 


4. Jalapeno Popper Wontons
Oh wonton wrappers, you are so versatile. I can turn you into cream cheese rangoons, homemade pizza rolls, or even chocolate-hazelnut ravioli. Eric loves jalapeno poppers, and these jalapeno wonton poppers are particularly addicting.

Ingredients:
16 wontons
4 ounces cream cheese, soften
1/4 cup cheddar, shredded
2 jalapenos, finely chopped

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.* Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray

In a bowl mix, mix together cream cheese, cheddar, and jalapenos. Scoop about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of the wonton. Wet all four edges of the wonton and bring the four corners together in the center of the wonton and press the seams together to seal. Place on the cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until they turn a golden brown.

*You can also deep fry these. Eric is always after me to fry my wonton creations. He loves everything fried. I, on the other hand, try to stay away from fried foods and love that these can be baked.

Eric also suggested sprinkling parmesan cheese on top of them. I thought about adding crumbled bacon to the inside. Just some ideas to play with.

5. Tomatoes Stuffed with Chicken, Herbs, and Cheese
Made with surplus tomatoes from my mom's garden, I didn't follow any recipe when concocting these. I just went with the ingredients that we had in the house. I didn't expect them to make it onto the blog because I assumed I would have to play with them a bit to get them just right. But they came out perfect and I can't wait to experiment more with stuffed tomatoes. 

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes (I used 2 beefsteak, 2 early girls)
kosher salt
4 tablespoons minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pieces of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed 
1/2 cup Italian herb breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup Italian blend shredded cheese (or mozzarella)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cut off the top of the tomatoes. Scoop out the innards with a spoon. You can either reserve them for another use or discard them. Lightly sprinkle the insides with salt and set them upside down on a paper towel to extract juices.

While the tomatoes drain, cook the bacon; set aside. Reserve a little bit of bacon grease and saute the onions and garlic in it until they are golden brown. In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and onions.

Place the tomatoes on the cookie sheet and divide the chicken mixture between the four tomatoes. Next, divide the cheese between the tomatoes, sprinkling it on top. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Smores Recipes
Smores Cookies
Smores Banana Boats
Peep Smores

More Zucchini Recipes:
Zucchini Chips 2.0
Parmesan Zucchini Bites
Pizza Zucchini Boats

More Chip Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips Banana Chips
Kale Chips
Potato Chips in the Microwave
Snowflake Tortilla Chips
Yellow Squash Chips Zucchini Chips 2.0

More Wonton Recipes:
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Cream Cheese Rangoons
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli
Smores Wontons
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Banana Wontons

Tomatoes Stuffed with Chicken, Herbs, and Cheese

Eric and I moved into our new place--a flat in a 1880s Victorian--about a week ago and we're both completely in love with it. It has a beautiful bay window, a fireplace, French doors, and hardwood floors. Not to mention a huge dining room. Plus, it's so close to Eric's work that he can walk. The kitchen is on the small side, but it's still bigger than any kitchen I've ever had. While we were unpacking, we lived off of leftover pizza, rotisserie chicken, and leftover cake from our wedding shower. But tonight I cooked our first meal in our place!

The other day my mom came to visit, check out the new digs, and go mother-of-the-bride dress shopping.  She also brought us a bunch of tomatoes and cherry tomatoes from her garden. The cherry tomatoes will be made into sun-dried tomatoes. But what to do with the bag of beefsteaks and early girls? Well, we had a little bit of the rotisserie chicken left over so I made tomatoes stuffed with chicken and herbs. It was so good that I can't wait to experiment with other stuffed tomato recipes.

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes (I used 2 beefsteak, 2 early girls)
kosher salt
4 tablespoons minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pieces of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed 
1/2 cup Italian herb breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup Italian blend shredded cheese (or mozzarella)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cut off the top of the tomatoes. Scoop out the innards with a spoon. You can either reserve them for another use or discard them. Lightly sprinkle the insides with salt and set them upside down on a paper towel to extract juices.

While the tomatoes drain, cook the bacon; set aside. Reserve a little bit of bacon grease and saute the onions and garlic in it until they are golden brown. In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and onions.

Place the tomatoes on the cookie sheet and divide the chicken mixture between the four tomatoes. Next, divide the cheese between the tomatoes, sprinkling it on top. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the cheese is melted.

We made roasted potatoes to go with our stuffed tomatoes. However, instead of roasting them under the broiler like we usually do, I cooked them at 400 degrees for an hour. After 40 minutes I put the tomatoes in with the potatoes.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

3 Breakfasts in a Mug

The students are back! I live near my alma mater Michigan State University and you can always tell when the massive influx of students hits town. The stores, the roads, the sidewalks are all teeming with them. It always brings back memories of moving into Gilchrist Hall my freshman year, the excitement and nervousness. You may have heard me mention once or twice how I wished I knew about mug recipes (recipes made in a mug in the microwave) when I was in college. So in honor of the students being back, here are three easy breakfasts that you can make in the microwave of your dorm room (not to mention links to numerous mug desserts!).

1. French Toast in a Mug

Ingredients:
2 slices of bread, torn into bite-size pieces
1 egg white
1 1/2 tablespoon milk
1-2 drops of vanilla extract
cinnamon, to taste (I probably use about a tablespoon but I love cinnamon!) 
cooking spray
maple syrup, optional

Directions:
Spray the inside of a coffee mug with cooking spray. Add bread to the mug. You'll have to mash it down a little. In a small bowl, combine egg whites, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over the bread. Let the mug sit for about a minute so the egg mixture and sink down and absorb into the bread.

Microwave for about 1 minute 20 seconds on high. However, all microwaves cook different. Start at 1 minute and progressively add 10 seconds until cooked. Add syrup if desired. Allow to cool before eating (I burnt my tongue because I was too impatient).

2. Quiche in a Mug

 Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
cooking spray
cheese, optional
onions, optional
peppers, optional
ham, optional

Directions:
Spray the inside of the mug with the cooking spray. Scrabble the eggs and milk in the mug. Salt and pepper to taste. Add whatever other ingredients you'd like. Thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary . . . I always add cheese--cheddar being my favorite. If you have some green onions or peppers lying around, dice them and toss them in. Or if you have any leftover ham, sausage, or chicken, add it too. Just make sure it's all precooked. I love using quiches as a way to recycle leftovers into a new dish. They're also fun to experiment with.

Microwave on high for approximately 1 minute 20 seconds. All microwaves cook differently so you may need to cook it a little longer or a little shorter. I recommend starting with 1 minute and go up by 10 seconds from there.

3. Banana Bread in a Mug

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 ripe banana, mushed
2 tablespoon chocolate chips

Directions:
You will need a large, oversized mug for this recipe. Spray it with cooking spray. In the mug combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda . Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla, milk, and banana; combine well. Fold in chocolate chips.*

Microwave for three minutes. (Almost immediately it smells just like banana bread baking in the oven). Your mug is going to be very hot so make either let it cool in the microwave or be very careful when taking it out. Allow bread to cool before devouring.

*The chocolate chips kind of sink to the bottom of the banana bread. I don't mind this. It's kind of like a special treat at the bottom of the dessert, but fair warning.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check out these Mug Desserts:
3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Fluffernutter Mug Cake

Go State!

Parmesan Garlic Wonton Crackers

So simple yet such a wow recipe. I had like six wonton wrappers leftover and I couldn't let them go to waste so I decided to turn them into parmesan garlic crackers. I had no idea they'd turn out this crisp and flavorful. Forget Cheez-its. Forget Wheat Thins. These little things are so much better. Eric was blown away by these crackers and it's been a while since I've blown him away with a recipe.

Ingredients:
Wonton wrappers
Parmesan cheese, grated
Garlic salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.

Cut wontons in half diagonally and arrange on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with parmesan and garlic salt. Lightly press the cheese and seasoning into the wrapper.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until the crackers are crisp and the edges are slightly browned.

Enjoy!

~Krissy


More Wonton Recipes:
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Cream Cheese Rangoons
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli
Smores Wontons
Jalapeno Popper Wontons
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Banana Wontons

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Banana Wontons

Chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas, I don't know why, but these three ingredients always taste so good together, comforting some how. I was originally just going to make chocolate banana wontons, but then I saw the peanut butter in the cupboard--how could I resist?

Ingredients:
16 wontons
1/4 cup chocolate chips*
8 teaspoons peanut butter
1 small ripe banana cut into 16 slices
powdered sugar, optional

*Like the smores wonton I made earlier, I made these with chocolate chips, but U had problems with the chips puncturing the wonton. I think bar chocolate like a Hershey candy bar will work better. I haven't made these with bar chocolate yet, but I'm guessing you could just break the bars in half and that would be plenty of chocolate for the wonton. (Hershey bars come with 12 bars so you'd need 8 bars broken in half).

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.** Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.

Place 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter in the center of the wonton. Add 1 banana slice on top of the peanut butter. Place 6 to 8 chocolate chips around the banana. 

Wet all four edges of the wontons with water (I used my finger, but you could also use a pastry brush) and fold over diagonally, pressing the edges together to seal.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the wontons turn a golden brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (This was Eric's idea and it did improve them.)

**You can also deep fry these if you so desire.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Wonton Recipes
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Cream Cheese Rangoons
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli
Smores Wontons
Jalapeno Popper Wontons

Smores Wontons

Smores aren't just a campfire treat. You can re-imagine this dessert in so many different ways (smores pies, smores banana boats, smores cookies!) With a package of wontons in the fridge, chocolate chips in the cupboard and some leftover marshmallow fluff, these smores wonton were inevitable.

Ingredients:
16 wontons
8 teaspoons marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup chocolate chips*

*I made these with chocolate chips, but I do recommend using bar chocolate like a Hershey candy bar just because I had problems with the chips puncturing the wonton. I haven't made these yet, but I'm guessing you could just break the bars in half and that'd be plenty of chocolate for the wonton. (Hershey bars come with 12 bars so you'd need 8 bars broken in half).

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.** Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.

Place a scant teaspoon of marshmallow fluff in the center of each wonton. DO NOT use mini marshmallows. I tried this too. They just disappear. Add 6 to 8 chips to each wonton.

Wet all four edges of the wontons with water (I used my finger but you could also use a pastry brush) and fold over, pressing the edges together to seal.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the wontons turn a golden brown.

**You can also deep fry these if you so desire.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Wonton Recipes
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Cream Cheese Rangoons
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli
Jalapeno Popper Wontons
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Banana Wontons

Jalapeno Popper Wontons

I think it was about a year ago that I first started playing with wonton wrappers. They are just so convenient when making both savory and sweet snacks or appetizers. When I decided that I wanted to make jalapeno poppers at home, my first thought was to turn to wonton wrappers. And it was a good thought. I could not stop eating them. Thankfully Eric had been putting off lunch so he could indulge in these little bundles of deliciousness and consumed most of them. I also made chocolate-peanut butter-banana wontons and smores wontons.

Ingredients:
16 wontons
4 ounces cream cheese, soften
1/4 cup cheddar, shredded
2 jalapenos, finely chopped

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.* Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray

In a bowl mix, mix together cream cheese, cheddar, and jalapenos. Scoop about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of the wonton. Wet all four edges of the wonton and bring the four corners together in the center of the wonton and press the seams together to seal. Place on the cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until they turn a golden brown.

*You can also deep fry these. Eric is always after me to fry my wonton creations. He loves everything fried. I, on the other hand, try to stay away from fried foods and love that these can be baked.

Eric also suggested sprinkling parmesan cheese on top of them. I thought about adding crumbled bacon to the inside. Just some ideas to play with.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Wonton Recipes
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Cream Cheese Rangoons
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli
Smores Wontons
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Banana Wontons

Pizza Zucchini Boats

Zucchini, you have become one of my all time favorite foods. Zucchini chips are a staple in my diet. I recently fell in love with a cheesy tomato zucchini bake. I have always loved my grandmother's zucchini bread. And I keep finding new ways to use this delicious green squash. What better way to make pizza healthy than with zucchini?

Ingredients:
zucchini
Italian seasoning, optional
pizza sauce
mozzarella (or parmesan or cheddar or whatever cheese like best)
toppings (pepperonis, peppers, onions, mushrooms, basil, etc.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 360 degrees.

Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds in the center with a spoon. Season with Italian seasoning, if desired. You could also use garlic powder, onion powder, or oregano.

Spoon the pizza sauce into the zucchini boats. You could also you marinara sauce, tomato sauce, or even chopped tomatoes for an even healthier version. Sprinkle with cheese and add toppings.

Place on a greased cookie sheet for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Zucchini Recipes
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake
Zucchini Chips 2.0
Parmesan Zucchini Bites

Orange Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Slow cooker or crockpot recipes make cooking so easy and food so incredibly flavorful. When I came across an orange chicken slow cooker recipe, I knew I had to try it. Eric and I are both HUGE orange chicken fans. When we order Chinese, it's usually orange chicken and fried rice. Fortunately, Eric makes a mean fried rice (I actually prefer his rice over that of any restaurant). So I made the chicken, he made the rice, and we had one yummy dinner.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed, I used frozen)
3/4 cup orange marmalade
3/4 cup barbecue sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray, our all time favorite BBQ sauce)
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:
Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the marmalade, barbecue sauce, and soy sauce over the chicken. Cover and set slow cooker to low. Cook for 4 hours. Partially uncover the slow cooker so some of the liquid will escape; this will thicken your sauce. Cook for another 3 to 4 hours. You can serve breasts whole, cut them into pieces, or shred them. Serve over fried rice.

Eric's amazing fried rice!

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Slow Cooker Recipes
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Pumpkin Butter 
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken