Chocolate pecan cobbler

I made Paula Deen's chocolate pecan cobbler for a game night recently and it was a big hit! I mean, who could resist all that chocolate?? I served mine with vanilla ice cream AND the homemade caramel whipped cream, which was FANTASTIC. We had some whipped cream left over, so Robert and I enjoyed it on our morning coffee for a few days... lucky us! (Sorry my picture looks like chocolate soup, but trust me- this stuff is yummy).

Cheesy chicken enchiladas

Dinner tonight were cheesy chicken enchiladas from Cooking Light magazine. I thought it might need a little extra spice, so I seasoned my chicken with chili powder and cumin before cooking, and I used habenero pepper cheese instead of cheddar. These were great! (Note from Robert: he thinks this recipe would work well with shrimp, too).

Steak sandwich

Oh, I almost forgot to post this recipe. It's a steak sandwich with provolone cheese sauce from Rachael Ray. Similar to a Philly cheesesteak, which is one of my favorites. This was one of the few success stories in the past few weeks!

Mexican meatloaf and poblano potato salad

I have been on an un-intended hiatus from the food blog lately. The last 4 or 5 recipes I've tried were deemed mediocre, therefore not blog-worthy. Combine that with a busy last few weeks of summer, and it feels like an eternity since I've talked food! But, as Robert said tonight after we licked our dinner plates... I'm back! I found my swagger again in the kitchen tonight, thanks to Marcela from Mexican Made Easy and her Mexican meatloaf and poblano potato salad. These recipes are spicy and delicious! I'm not sure I'd call these easy recipes, due to the amount of ingredients and the steps required- and the number of dirty pots and pans we had to clean. But who said great food was going to be easy?? Lots of excellent, smoky flavors in these with poblano peppers, serrano chiles, and even a bit of chipotle. Looking forward to having leftovers this weekend!

Chipotle and garbanzo bean soup (crock pot)

I have bookmarked hundreds of recipes to try from magazines, tv shows, and cookbooks. None of them are conducive to planning ahead, so I find myself rushing to cook dinner between the girls bath and bedtime routines, which can get pretty hectic. A great solution for that is slow cooker meals, so you will probably see more of those on the blog in the coming weeks. First up is this chipotle and garbanzo bean soup from a cookbook my mom got me on her recent trip to New Mexico. I was able to prepare it during morning naps, and it was ready to serve when Robert got home from work. This soup is spicy, hearty, and delicious!! We will definitely make this one again.

Chipotle and garbanzo bean soup
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from can of chipotle chiles)
• 6 green chilies, chopped (I used fresh jalapenos, sliced. 2-3 depending on your spice tolerance)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup chopped green onion

• 1 cup cubed monterey jack cheese

• 2 limes
• cilantro

Combine first 8 ingredients (through garlic powder) in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, remove the chicken from the soup, shred, and return to the slow cooker. Add the green onions. Continue cooking on low until ready to serve.

Divide the cheese equally into soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls over the cheese, add juice from half a lime into each bowl, and garnish with cilantro.

Fried okra

Thanks to a generous donation of okra from my Mema's garden, we had Paula Deen's delicious fried okra this week. It was easy to make and turned out great!

Nuevo cubano sandwiches and summer peach & tomato salad

Dinner last night was nuevo cubano sandwiches and summer peach and tomato salad, both from Cooking Light. We subbed turkey instead of ham on the sandwiches (personal preference), and chose mango over tomatoes. I couldn't find any wheat hoagies I liked, so we used wheat sandwich thins, which worked great. This is a simple and delicious sandwich! Robert was skeptical about the salad at first, but he was smitten after the first bite. I peeled the peaches for ours - I don't mind a little fuzz, but Robert isn't a fan - and scaled everything down as I was only cooking for two. I also took reviewer's suggestions to use balsamic vinegar in place of sherry vinegar - we prefer balsamic, and it gives the salad a caprese-like twist.

Chunky gazpacho with shrimp

Dinner tonight was chunky gazpacho with shrimp from Cooking Light magazine. It was listed in the magazine as a quick meal (40 minutes), but I worked ahead and made it in the morning so it could chill for the rest of the day. I added about a tbsp of olive oil, and we topped ours with sauteed shrimp, sliced avocado and cheese crostini. This cold dish was so refreshing on this hot day!!

Rosemary chocolate chip shortbread

I saw this recipe for rosemary chocolate chip shortbread on Food Network last week and thought hmmm, now that's an interesting combination. The recipe is simple and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I just had to try it. I subbed 1 tsp of fresh rosemary in place of the 1/2 tsp of dried because I happened to have some in the fridge. These shortbread cookies are delicious!!! The rosemary flavor is subtle, but just enough to elevate them into something special. Try it!

Chorizo and potato tacos

We had chorizo and potato tacos this week, a recipe from Food Network magazine. We fell in love with these tacos instantly, and Robert asked that they be added to our permanent rotation. I halved the recipe, which made 4 tacos using the small soft taco-size tortillas (also, we subbed flour for corn tortillas). DELICIOUS!

Grilled peaches with blackberry basil butter

Continuing with the peach theme, dessert tonight was grilled peaches with blackberry basil butter, a recipe from Southern Living magazine. The butter is a unique blend of flavors, and goes perfect with warm, grilled peaches!

Pimiento cheeseburgers

Dinner tonight was pimiento cheeseburgers from the Rachael Ray show. I have writer's block on what to say about them, other than they were simple to make and tasted great. Enjoy!