TheKitchenCookie

I was hungry for a lite supper last night and had these ingredients handy so I stirred it together and let it sit for a while to let the flavors blend. Thought about it later that some Feta might have been good in it too but I didn't have any anyway so... I've been on a White Balsamic Vinegar kick lately. The flavor agrees with my taste buds much better than the regular Balsamic Vinegar. It's lighter in flavor and goes perfect with this recipe. Would it be weird to eat the leftovers for breakfast? ☺ 3 ripe medium sized tomatoes, sliced thin ½ medium Sweet Onion, sliced thin 1 Avocado, sliced thin 3 Tablespoons Lite Olive Oil 3 Tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar Fresh Parsley and Oregano, to taste Sea Salt and Pepper , to taste Combine in a bowl and give it a stir. Let it sit to let the flavors blend. Enjoy it, it's delicious! ☺ I think it would be a perfect topping for a Chef Salad with grilled chicken or beef. Yum!   Head over to Gina's place ...

Happy Birthday Shawn! Happy 15th Birthday to our middle son! Seriously where does time go ?!  Shawn is soft hearted and caring and feels things deeply. He loves to be in the center of the action! He has an opinion about everything and no one really has to wonder what that opinion is, he's more than happy to share! ☺ We're working on this, he reminds me of a certain teenager from the 80's. Yeah, that would've been me. He is a very good impersonator and keeps us laughing. His height was recently measured at school and he's right at 5'11½". He told me later I don't know why she didn't just say 6 feet! ha  He knows what he wants and where he's heading and is usually impatient to get there, hates to be late, and lives his life in exclamation points!!! He is persistent and a good worker, loves to help out wherever he's needed and can be depended upon to get the job done. He's competitive and good at sports. His dimples flas...

I've been looking around for a good substitute for the dry Ranch mix you buy and have tried several but wasn't really pleased with any that I found. So I decided to kinda wing it and use parts of a few different recipes I found. (food.com)   I adapted them a bit to my preference and I like it a lot. I've been using the mix for a while now and the kids are slowly getting used to the 'ranch' stuff around here tasting a bit different but over all they have been willing to eat it. Ingredients: ½ cup dried onion flakes 1-2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes 1-2 Tablespoons dried dill weed ¼ cup onion salt ¼ cup garlic salt ¼ cup onion powder ¼ cup garlic powder Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process till well combined and the onion flakes are fine. Store in an airtight glass jar. For the dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup buttermilk 1 Tablespoon dry mix For the veggie dip: ½ cup sour cream ½ cup pl...

(ingredients in bold type) So yesterday for lunch I decided to make the best of the leftover grilled chicken (previous post). I sauteed some onions , fresh pineapple , and red peppers in olive oil along with the chicken cut into strips. I put this mixture on a Sun Dried Tomato Tortilla along with a piece of Swiss Cheese and melted the cheese in the microwave. Added a handful of fresh Spinach and wrapped it up. Yumyumyum!! It was a delicious lunch! Hope you all have a fabulous day! ~Be Blessed!~

 Sizzle into Summer with some simple grilled chicken! If you are looking for a super easy, basic recipe for some really tasty, juicy grilled chicken that isn't loaded with lots of extra calories from a beefed up marinade, look no further. I had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs on hand and didn't want to make them like I usually do and suppertime was very near and I still had no plan. Can you identify to that panicky feeling? The kids usually have a bit of an after school snack but it's usually something like fruit or yogurt which doesn't last all that long and by 4:30 - 5:00 I'm usually hearing queries of  'what'sforsuppermomI'mstarving!' It takes a lot of food to fill up 3 teen boys in case you were wondering.☺ I was looking for some clues through a cookbook or two when I thought of this very easy lifesaver. My reason for no plan was entirely my fault and easy to explain. The weather has been gorgeous and who feels like cooking wh...

This was another cheesecake I made this past weekend for friends. It is rich and delicious! Someone told me it reminds them of a giant truffle. It does not take a very big slice to get your chocolate fix, so this would serve quite a few people! Yum!! Preheat oven to 300°. Spray a 10 inch Springform pan with non stick spray. 2 packages chocolate graham crackers, crushed fine 3 Tablespoons brown sugar 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Mix together and press evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Let cool. 5 (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened 1½ cups sugar Beat until light and fluffy 1½ lbs. dark chocolate morsels 3 Tablespoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons chocolate extract pinch of salt 1/3 cup AP flour Add to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. 2/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature 5 eggs, room temperature Combine the eggs and the cream in a separate bowl and beat together. Then add to the creame...

I had the privilege of baking cheesecakes for a friends fundraiser this week and I couldn't resist the color green...in March. ☺ It was delicious and several people told me they enjoyed this one a lot. The Lime Curd really gave it a good flavor. I hear a lot of people say they get tired of graham cracker crusts so I used Nilla wafers for this one and on a whim I stood some on end all the way around the edge. I think for a better presentation I would skip that the next time. Ingredients List: 2 cups crushed Nilla Wafers 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 32 oz. cream cheese, softened 1¼ cups white sugar 1¼ Tablespoons cornstarch 4 eggs 10 oz. jar Lime Curd, divided 1 cup key lime juice 1 drop green food coloring Preheat oven to 300°. Combine Nilla crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a non stick sprayed 9 inch Springform pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, 1¼ Tabl...

If you love fruit and spinach you are in luck here. I wasn't really hungry for 'food' for supper on a recent evening and I had some fruit and spinach and coconut milk in the fridge that needed to be used so I blended together a smoothie and enjoyed this instead. I don't really have measurements so I'll just give you a list of ingredients and you can go by your own taste buds. ☺ They might be a safer guide than mine anyway. ☺ Mango Strawberries Blueberries Spinach Greek Yogurt Coconut Milk Flax Seeds Honey Stevia I blended it for a long time so that the blueberry skins and the flax seeds would not be an issue for the ones that might not be sure about textures, and it took quite a bit of coconut milk. It was yummy and hit the spot. It didn't get all so I decided to make it into Popsicles for later use. I haven't tried those yet but Serena had one on Sunday and seemed to enjoy it. If she likes it it must pass inspection. ☺ ~Be Bl...

I wanted something easy and quick for supper and I had some fresh pineapple and chicken tenders in the fridge that needed to be used. I had picked up Baguette loaf at the grocery store for another purpose but decided to use it for this instead. It turned out very tasty and went well with a salad for a reasonably quick meal.  I sauteed the chicken in olive oil with peppers and onions for flavor but removed the veggies before assembling the sandwich because this is how my family prefers it, but it would be wonderful with green and red peppers and sweet onions along with the pineapple. Yum! chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces onions pepper strips olive oil fresh pineapple chunks 1 clove garlic, minced Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning sea salt Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ Sauce Cheese of your choice 1 Baguette Loaf Saute' veggies in oil for a few minutes then add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally to kee...

Breakfast seemed so much more appealing to me tonight than the usual fare. This quiche is usually baked with a crust but I prefer it without. It's delicious, very fluffy, and easily put together and it was gone in a flash. Love when that happens! ☺ I served it with some super yummy Oatmeal Pancakes that I found here and some fresh pineapple.   Ingredients: ¾ cup shredded cheese, (swiss, cheddar, coJack) I like it with Swiss or CoJack 1-2 Tablespoons chopped Onion ½-1 cup chopped ham 6 lg. eggs 2 cups heavy cream salt and pepper fresh parsley, chopped bacon bits Spray a 2 quart baking dish with non stick spray. Layer cheese, ham, and onions in the dish. Combine the cream, eggs, salt and pepper in a seperate bowl and beat well or put into blender and blend. Pour over ham and cheese and sprinkle with bacon bits, parsley, and a bit of cheese. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until center is set. ~Be Blessed! Savor...

I wish I could describe in words how delicious this was! The zucchini perfectly complimented the filling. And the filling was bursting with flavor. It was super easy and I can't wait to make it again! I think I will keep it in mind for those times when I serve pizza to our extended family. Some of them don't eat a lot, if any, flour. And this would be perfect! 1 small to medium zucchini 1 turkey sausage link, casing removed 1 shallot, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 strips each red and green pepper, diced Pizza Sauce, just enough to make the meat mixture stick together 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Parmesan Cheese Italian Seasoning 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil Pour olive oil into a saute' pan and add the chopped shallot and garlic. Saute' for several minutes then add the sausage, stir to crumble. When the sausage is almost done add the green and red peppers and saute' till sausage is completely cooked and veggies are tender. Toss with pizza sauce. ...

There's been a few Avocados in the fridge for quite a while and I wanted to make a healthier salad dressing with them but kept pushing it off. I finally decided I'd better get it done before the avocados get yucky. I found what I was looking for here  but adapted it to my taste. I ate it on my salad as a dressing and my hubby and I also used it as a fresh veggie dip with carrots, celery, and red peppers. It was delicious! *I recently put together a dry mix for Ranch Dressing that I really like, and although I write these things down as I go, I somehow mislaid the paper. When I find it again I will let you know :) ½ Ripe Avocado, peeled 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice 2 teaspoons Olive Oil ¼ teaspoon Ranch Dressing Mix* ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Sea Salt Freshly Cracked Pepper Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. My Romantic Home , Foodie Friday , Hodgepodge , Inspiration Friday , Friday Favorites , Home Sweet H...