Another Pinterest Success Story!

Recently, a friend of mine from college started a collective Pinterest board with tried and true recipes that her friends post. Last Friday I tried a recipe that another college friend had shared on that board. And wonder of wonders, at various levels, it was a hit with every single member of our family! All three boys (5, 8 and 10) raved, Pete gave it a thumbs up and Maggie (3) ate it slowly (typical) and didn't complain at all. Definitely a win! This happens so rarely that I knew I must share it with the few of you who still get updates from this blog. :) 

Also, I'm trying two more recipes next week, so hopefully I'll be back soon to share some more success stories! 

Herb and Citrus Oven Roasted Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sugar

2 whole lemons, one juiced and one sliced

2 whole oranges, one juiced and one sliced

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

10-12 pieces (about 4 1/2 lbs.) bone-in chicken parts (thighs and legs are best), pat dry

1 medium onion (any kind), thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme, or fresh chopped

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, or fresh chopped

Chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley), for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, Italian seasoning, paprika, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a rimmed 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Place parts skin side up and spread them out evenly in the pan. Pour olive oil mixture all over chicken, turning pieces to coat all sides. (If you marinated the chicken in this mixture, still add it all in). Arrange slices of lemon, orange and onion around and under the chicken. Sprinkle all over generously with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked and juices run clear. Remove parts to a serving platter and garnish with additional chopped fresh herbs, if desired.

Enjoy!

Just 30-40 minutes is all that's needed to bake this recipe with chicken breasts in place of chicken parts.

For best results, chicken can be marinated in a plastic container or bag for several hours or overnight in the olive oil mixture.

This is great served with a big salad, and/or lemon orzo/potatoes, or garlic bread!

This recipe comes from The Comfort of Cooking Blog.

Taco Pizza

I know it's been a while, life has been busy and I barely take the time to update my family blog. However, I came across a new recipe via Pinterest and it is a keeper. It's simple, it's inexpensive and it got rave reviews at my house so I knew I should share it with the world--or at least my loyal blog followers! ;)

First this recipe was called Taco Bake, but I called it Taco Pizza to increase the it's popularity at my house. My kids are 9, 7, 4 and 2, so new recipes aren't always well-received, but pizza, pizza is always well-received!

Here is the link to the original recipe and the link to the pin.

 

Ingredients:
3 8 inch tortillas (I used flour, but you could use corn if gluten is an issue)
1 pound of ground beef
taco seasoning
a little water
1/2 cup of queso or salsa con queso
1 1/2 -2 cups of Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a round pan. I followed the original poster's advice and used a springform pan which worked really well, but any 8 inch round pan would work.
2. Brown the beef and add the taco seasoning and water according to the taco seasoning directions. (I used Costco's taco seasoning and it was a little spicy for my crew, so I will use a little less next time)
3. Turn off the heat on the meat and mix in the queso. I used Gordo's Cheese Dip and it was really good.

4. Place a tortilla in the pan, then layer the meat mixture on top and then sprinkle a layer of the shredded cheese.
5. Repeat step 4 two more times, giving you 3 layers.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes and then let cool for 10 minutes.
7. Slice and serve with sour cream and salsa.

The Country Cook had great pictures on her blog of the step by step process. Click over here to see.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bites

I'm a part of a great book club. We meet at a local coffee shop called Book Bums. While discussing our latest book, we usually get some tasty drink and enjoy some of the baked goods that they sell. Several months ago, I tried their little bag of sugar cookie bites. They have a name, but I can't remember what it is. What I do know is that these little cookies are delicious. I have spent many hours trying to recreate them. I haven't quite perfected the frosting, but I think the cookies are pretty darn close! Here's my knock-off recipe:

Sugar Cookie Bites

Ingredients:
1c. unsalted butter softened
2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 c. flour

1. Combine butter and sugars.

2. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix.

4. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out dough into even balls and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 7-9 minutes at 350F

Kool-Aid Cookies

Yesterday I read a book from start to finish--mostly during naptime, but a little bit after the kids were in bed for the night. It the latests from a fun series by Joanne Fluke, the Hannah Swensen Mysteries. Each book in the series has a handful of recipes sprinkled throughout the book, since the main character, Hannah, is the owner of a cookie shop. I've collected several of these books and checked the rest out from our local library. If you're looking for a fun read with a mysterious twist, I'd definitely recommend this series. This book, Apple Turnover Murder, had several recipes that I'm hoping to try. Today, I tried a fun cookie recipe, they call them Watermelon Cookies, but I'm adapting them. The watermelon flavor that the title they use refers to comes from Kool-Aid and I only had one packet of Kool-Aid on hand--Strawberry Kiwi. I plan to try these again with various flavors of Kool-Aid, so I decided to change the name. :) Here's their recipe, then I add a few comments at the end.

Kool-Aid Cookies (Watermelon Cookies)

Ingredients:

1 package (.17 oz) of Kool-Aid powder (the kind w/out the sugar added)
1 and 2/3 cup white sugar
1 and 1/4 cups softened butter (2 and 1/4 sticks)
2 large eggs, beaten (w/ a fork is fine)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups of all-purpose flour (pack it down when you measure it)

1/2 cup white sugar in a bowl

1. Mix the Kool-Aid with the white sugar
2. Add the softened butter and mix until it's fluffy
3. Add the eggs and mix well
4. Mix in the salt and baking soda and make sure they're well incorporated
5. Add the flour in half cup increments, mixing after each addition
6. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or use parchment paper
*7. Roll dough balls one inch in diameter using your hands (or a cookie scoop about 2 tsp. size works well)
8. Roll the dough balls in the white sugar and place them on baking sheet
9. Bake at 325F for 10-12 minutes or until they're just beginning to turn golden around the edges--you don't want to overbake.
10. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 1-3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yields approx. 6 dozen cookies

* These can be made into cutout cookies at this step.

Just a couple notes:
~ I left mine on the cookie sheet to cool and they were fine.
~ I like my Kool-Aid a little strong and think these might be even better (although they are good, don't misunderstand!) if they had just a bit more of the Kool-Aid mix. Next time, I'm thinking of halving the recipe (6 dozen cookies is a lot!) but adding more than half of the Kool-Aid packet. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Recipe adapted from Joanne Fluke's Apple Turnover Murder, check her out at www.MurderSheBaked.com