Poppy seed muffins

My girls requested more poppy seeds last week, so we did a quick internet search and found this simple- yet delicious- recipe for poppy seed muffins from Allrecipes.  The original recipe had an orange glaze, but we omitted it, trying to keep these in the breakfast category instead of the dessert one.  We gobbled these up in record time!

POPPY SEED MUFFINS

Yield: 6 muffins

Ingredients

1 egg

3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsps poppy seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Beat together the egg, sugar and vegetable oil. Add in milk, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, vanilla extract, and flour. Mix well.

Pour batter in paper or silicone muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes for The tops should be browned and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Chicken cheesesteaks

We made these delicious chicken cheesesteak sandwiches from Confections of a Foodie Bride blog, who was inspired by the popular restaurant Texadelphia in well, Texas.  Say howdy to grilled chicken, onions, peppers, and a fantastic mustard sauce- yum!

 CHICKEN CHEESESTEAKS

 Yield: 4-6 sandwiches

Ingredients

 

        For the sandwiches:

        1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, partially frozen (easier to slice)

        2 Tbsp olive oil

        Worcestershire sauce

        Salt & Pepper

        1 medium white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

        1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

        1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

        4-6 slices of your favorite cheese

        4-6 hoagie rolls, split

        For the mustard spread:

        1/4 cup light mayo

        3 Tbsp spicy brown mustard

        2 tsp teriyaki sauce

        1 tsp honey, plus more to taste

 Instructions

 

1. To make the mustard spread, whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate in a covered jar.  Any remaining sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

2. If the chicken is completely thawed, place it on a plastic-wrapped plate and put it back in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. The chicken needs to be slightly frozen so it's easier to slice thinly. 

3. Use a very sharp knife to thinly slice the chicken.  Season the chicken with a couple dashes of Worcestershire, salt and pepper.

4. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add the peppers and onions, toss to coat with oil, and cook covered for 10-15 minutes, until softened, stirring every few minutes. If necessary, add a couple Tbsp of water to prevent sticking.  Transfer peppers to a bowl and set aside.

5. Heat remaining olive oil over medium high heat and add the chicken, stirring frequently until cooked through and lightly browned.  Drain fat and reduce heat to medium.  Add peppers back to the pan, tossing to reheat.

6. Spread mustard on split hoagie rolls and add chicken and peppers.  Top each with a slice of cheese and serve hot. (Pop the sandwiches under the broiler, if necessary, to reheat and melt the cheese).

       

Cheese and green chile enchiladas

These enchiladas from Rachael Ray are so simple, yet oh. so. delicious.  I'm usually hesitant to make meat-free dishes as an entree since my meat-loving husband doesn't really see the point, but these certainly delivered.  They are ooey, gooey deliciousness, wrapped up in a tortilla- get ready to chow down!

CHEESE AND GREEN CHILE ENCHILADAS

Yield: 12 enchiladas

Ingredients

3/4 pound Monterey jack or Pepper jack cheese, shredded (3 1/2 cups)

2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies, drained

1 cup sour cream

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

A small handful cilantro leaves, chopped, plus whole leaves for topping

1 tsp ground cumin

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil, for warming tortillas

12 corn or flour tortillas

Thinly sliced jalapeño peppers and red onions, for topping

1 lime

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, canned chilies, sour cream or crema, yellow onion, garlic, chopped cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper.

Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Using tongs, add 1 tortilla at a time, turning in the oil to soften for a few seconds. Drain on paper towels.

Dollop a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto each tortilla and roll up like a cigar (you will use about half to two-thirds of your filling). Arrange the enchiladas in a single layer in a casserole dish. Cover with the remaining cheese mixture and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Top with the jalapeños, red onions, whole cilantro leaves and lime juice.

Worcestershire burgers with homemade ranch dressing

We made these Worcestershire burgers from Rachael Ray a few weeks ago, and one look at that gooey cheese and dripping sauce and we knew they were going to be delicious!

WORCESTERSHIRE BURGERS WITH RANCH DRESSING

Yield: 4 burgers

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp grated onion
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 deli slices (not too thin) Provolone cheese
3 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup sour cream
1/4 - 1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup finely chopped dill, parsley, chives and thyme
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp hot sauce
1 clove garlic, grated
Bread or rolls of your choice

Instructions:
Preheat a cast-iron skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, onion, salt and lots of pepper. Form into 4 patties (thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking). Add the oil to the hot pan, add the patties and cook, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare to medium. Top the patties with the cheese, folded to fit the burgers, during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot, season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and remove from the heat.

In a bowl, stir together the sour cream, buttermilk, herbs, lemon juice, hot sauce and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
Put the cheeseburgers on the roll bottoms and top with the shallots. Slather the roll tops with the dressing and set into place.

      

Lemon poppy seed pancakes

I had lemon poppy seed pancakes at a fantastic breakfast place in Chicago a few years ago, and have been meaning to recreate them ever since. I finally hit the jackpot with this recipe from Allrecipes, slightly modified to our taste. I drizzled ours with honey, and they were DIVINE! I can't wait to make them again!

LEMON POPPY SEED PANCAKES

Yield: 8 pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp lemon zest

Butter for pan

Instructions:

In a bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest until well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, and whisk a few times until the batter is mostly free of lumps.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and swirl a small pat of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes.  Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Cilantro-lime jalapeno chicken salad

I saw this chicken salad recipe from Daily Crave on Pinterest and immediately bookmarked it for a future lunch.  I made it a day-ahead at a time that was convenient for me, and I loved that it was ready to go the next day for a simple, delicious lunch!

Cilantro-Lime Jalapeno Chicken Salad

Yield: 3-4 servings

§             3 chicken breasts

§             1 jalapeño, diced (with seeds scraped out)

§             4 Tbls cilantro, coarsely chopped

§             1 lime, juiced

§             1/4 red onion, finely diced

§             1/3 cup mayo (more if needed for your desired consistency)

§             1 Tbls Dijon mustard

§             1 tsp cumin

§             salt and pepper

§             2 ripe avocados (or for a sandwich good French or Italian bread)

Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Let chicken cool,  then shred with a fork. 

Add mayo, Dijon, cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix to combine.  (Add more mayo and lime here if necessary).  Mix in red onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Cool in fridge for several hours to let flavors merge, and serve with avocado or on French bread with a slice of provolone cheese.

M&M cookies

The girls and I made these Easter treats and devoured them in record time.  There's a chance you already have what you need in your pantry, but if not, a quick trip to the store will fix that!  


M&M COOKIES
Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup M&Ms, divided (3/4 cup for batter and 1/4 cup for tops of cookies)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, add sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.