BBQ Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, one of the best combo ever created in my opinion. We dress up your basic canned tomato soup with basil (fresh is best but dried will work) then add some shredded cheddar cheese to our bowls. Eric also throws in a few pepperonis.

The key to our grilled cheese sandwiches is using shredded cheese instead of sliced cheese. It just melts so much better and you can heap on as much or as little as you'd like! Sharp cheddar, a Mexican blend, pepper jack . . . the options are endless. If you have a Meijer near you, their store brand taco shredded cheese makes an absolutely fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches--and is pretty damn good in the tomato soup too!

While Eric likes his grilled cheese sandwiches straight forward, I like to experiment with them. Add sun-dried tomatoes. Apples and red onion mayo. Maybe some pesto. Or barbecue sauce and caramelized onions . . .

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
8 slices of bread (I highly recommend sourdough)*
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Butter
2 to 4 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce (ours is Sweet Baby Ray)
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
In a skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add sliced onions. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the onions turn a golden brown and taste sweet, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Spread butter on into one side of each slice of bread. Spread the barbecue sauce on 4 slices of bread, opposite side of the butter. Use as much or as little sauce as you'd like (I used a couple of teaspoons).

Heat the skillet over medium-low heat and place a slice of bread butter side down in the pan. Working quickly, add roughly 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and 1/4 of the caramelized onions then another slice of bread, butter side up. Cook until one side is golden brown and the cheese begins to melt then flip over and cook that side until it's golden brown. Repeat with the other two sandwiches.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

So I saw a Martha Stewart recipe on Pinterest for salt and vinegar potatoes. I clicked on the link and read through the recipe. It sounded really good but a lot more work than I wanted to do. Instead I decided to just change up my basic roasted potato recipe. I was surprised by how good they turned out. Eric--who loves my microwave salt and vinegar potato chips--liked these potatoes just as much. He wouldn't even put ketchup on them--and he always puts ketchup on his potatoes.

Ingredients:
3 medium russet potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Set oven to broil. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Toss potatoes with olive oil place in a single lay on baking sheet. Cook for 10 to 15, stir and flip the potatoes, cook for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside.

Toss potatoes with vinegar then season with salt.

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes served with Jalapeno Popper Chicken.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

A week ago Eric and I celebrated our 5th anniversary (our last anniversary before we get married!) and went to Ukai Hibachi Grill and Sushi Bar to celebrate. As an appetizer we had tuna jalapeno poppers. They were fricking amazing--as is all their food there. Anyway, it got me thinking about jalapeno poppers and I knew somewhere in my hundreds (maybe thousands) of bookmarked recipes, I had a jalapeno chicken recipe. I found, and made it, and it was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making it again.

Recipe is adapted from here.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken  with Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 egg
3 ounces cream cheese (I used reduce fat)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
2 chicken breasts.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet generously with cooking spray.

In a small skillet, combine breadcrumbs and olive oil over medium heat. Cook until golden brown, stirring often. Pour into a shallow dish and stir in taco seasoning.

In a second shallow dish, lightly beat the egg.

In a third bowl, mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and minced jalapenos.

Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast to make a pocket. Stuff each of the breasts with half of the cream cheese mixture. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.

Dip the breasts into the eggs then into the breadcrumbs. Make sure to completely coat each chicken breast, and then place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Eric said that the whole house smelled like this dish and he couldn't wait to try some. He wasn't disappointed. However, he was wondering if there was a way we could fry them next time. That boy wants to fry everything!

On a side note, I highly recommend drinking a margarita with this dish. Together they make a perfect summer pairing.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

The Pizza Quiche

So I have a confession. I didn't actually make this dish. But I did email it to Eric's mom--I get points for that, right? I just haven't had the time or motivation to cook lately. But I wanted to share this recipe because this may just be my new favorite quiche, and if you've had my spicy sausage spinach quiche or Edye's ham and broccoli quiche, you know that's saying a lot. 

This is a slight variation of this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 8-ounce can crescent rolls or store-bought pastry crust
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 tablesppon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup frozen or canned spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped
5 eggs, slightly scrambled
1/4 cup sliced pepperonis, cut into strips
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the crescent roll dough into eight triangles and line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with the dough.

Saute the red pepper in the oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute; remove from heat. In a bowl combine the eggs, cheese, spinach, pepperoni, milk, and spices. Stir in red peppers and garlic. Pour the mixture into the pie pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Homemade Tootsie Rolls

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Every since I made my first homemade caramels, I've loved candy making. I've made sea salt caramels, pumpkin caramels, marshmallow, truffles, chocolate covered cherries, candied citrus peels, candy corn, different types of fudge, and bon-bons. (Click here for candy recipes). So when I saw this tootsie roll recipe on Pinterest, I had to try it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
1 to 2 cups instant non-dry milk powder

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together honey, cocoa powder, and vanilla using a spatula or spoon. Pour in melted butter and mix well. Add powdered sugar and salt; mix until well incorporated.

Add the milk powder 1/4 cup at a time until dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and onto a work surface. Knead the dough by hand and continue to add the milk powder until the dough becomes firm. You may not use all of the milk powder. When the dough is firm and only slightly sticky, roll it into a ball. Spray cling wrap with cooking spray and wrap the dough in it.

Let the dough rest for a 1 to 2 hours. I cut the dough into strips. Next time, I think I'll roll them out into logs then cut them into pieces. Wrap in wax paper and store at room temperature.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Rice Crispy Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday Eric!

Yesterday was Eric's 27th birthday. Before I give you the recipe to his birthday cake, let's take a minute to walk down memory lane. When Eric saw his cake, he smiled and laughed and made a comment that I always make him unusual birthday cakes. Thinking back on it, he's right.

There was the orange-cranberry bread cake with blue royal frosting. It was made from a Pillsbury quick bread mix. I can't remember why I made this for his birthday, but I do know it was before I had a large repertoire of recipes in my arsenal. However, Eric loved it.

Orange Cranberry Bread Cake

Then there was the strawberry cake (also from a mix) with the candy clay decorations. We had friends over to celebrate and they all wanted to eat the candy clay roses. I also made cheese puffs and cream cheese rangoons as appetizers.

Strawberry Cake

Last year was the apple cider cake, which is one of my all times favorite cakes. It's a doctored spice cake mix. Sadly apple cider isn't in season in February so I had to use an apple cider mix--which is good but not nearly as good as the real thing. The following autumn, I made apple cider cupcakes with real apple cider and they were amazing.

Apple Cider Cake

And that brings us to this year, a rice crispy cake. A few weeks ago, Eric mentioned that rice crispy treats sounded good (his hint that I should make some). That's when I remembered seeing a Martha Stewart rice crispy cake and knew I had to make it for him. I used Kellogg's rice crispy treat recipe and made a minor change to Martha's chocolate marshmallow frosting.

Rice Crispy Cake
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
8 cups mini marshmallows
12 cups rice crispy cereal

Directions:
Spray 2 8-inch round cake pans generously with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a stock pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are completely melted then remove from hear. Add rice crispies and stir gently but well until the cereal is well coated.

Divide the mixture between the two cake pans and evenly press the mixture into the pan.

Allow to cool then remove from pans.

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
4 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat. Add marshmallows and stir. Just as the marshmallows begin to melt, add the chocolate chips. Stir until the mixture is smooth.

While the frosting is still warm, frost the top of the first cake layer. Let the frosted cake stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Set the second cake layer on top and gently press down. 

Decorate as desired. Martha used different cereals to decorate her cake. Eric's cake looks a bit Christmasy just because I used what I had on hand--black, green, and red gels. 

I have to admit, this makes a pretty cool cake. It's quick, easy, and different. I know I will be making this again.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Skinny Peanut Butter Brownies

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So I've been M.I.A. for the last month and a half. With work and wedding planning, I haven't been spending very much time in the kitchen. However, for Valentine's Day I managed to find time to make these delicious, fudgy brownies. Not only are the yummy--decadent really--they are semi-healthy (or at least not super bad for you). You see, Eric and I joined a gym at the beginning of the year so we can look all tone and fit for our wedding. These brownies make us feel a little less guilty for indulging in our sweet tooth. Plus, these are the easiest made-from-scratch brownies ever. You just throw the ingredients into a food processor or blender! Easy to make, easy to clean up.

Original Recipe (I made a few minor changes).

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Pour the rolled oats in the food processor or blender and blend until the oats are ground up. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, except for the peanut butter. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the batter into the baking dish. Beware: it will be thin but that's okay. Microwave the peanut butter for 30 or until it's melted. Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter into the batter and using a butter knife, swirl the peanut butter to give the brownies a marbled effect. Don't over mix.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You will notice the edges of the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan when it's baked. Allow the brownies to cool completely and serve.

Eric had no idea that these were skinny brownies until I told him. Even I was surprised by how rich and fudgy they turned out.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check Out:
Healthified Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies