Cheesy Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Bake

One word. YUM.  Enough said.

I love this time of year when all the produce is fresh and taste amazing. So I decided tonight I would attempt to create something amazing with amazing items.

Cheesy Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Bake

2 table spoons minced garlic

2 table spoons EVOO

1/2 large onion-chopped

1 side each of yellow, green and red bell pepper-chopped

1 1/2 chicken breast-cubed

(I had a 3 pack of chicken breast and that was going to be too much, so I saved the other 1 1/2 chicken breast for another meal. 1 package, 2 meals)

1 large bunch fresh spinach-chopped with stems removed

1 can artichoke hearts-drained and chopped

1 small can mushrooms-drained

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 table spoon spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup fat free feta (optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup croutons

In a large pan place EVOO, garlic and onion. Cook until onion is soft.  Added chicken, salt and pepper and cook until chicken is no longer pink.  Next, add the bell peppers, mushrooms, artichokes and spinach.  Place lid on pan and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until spinach is wilted.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mustard, feta and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Add sour cream mixture to pan and mix until everything is covered. Place mixture into a greased baking dish and top with croutons and rest of cheese.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.  Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!!

Pizza Pizza!

Everyone should know that my husband LOVES pizza. He could and would eat pizza every day of the week if I let him and if he were a blubbery slob, but he's not.  So today I gave him two choices for dinner: Pizza, or Quiche. With an instant PIZZA! I knew I had to get to planning.  Since he's a growing man and can eat whatever he wants and doesn't get the extra baggage like some of us do, I decided to an extra ingredient for his side of the pizza-prosciutto. We already had an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs (from the garden) so I didn't have much shopping to do in that area. 

Homemade Pizza Sauce

5-6 large Roma tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

3-5 leaves fresh basil (depending on how you want it to taste)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until mixed.

This is where I think I might change it next time. I would strain off some of the juice with a cheese cloth or sifter because there was allot of juice after the pizza was done baking, making the crust more soft than we would have liked.   But either way, it was all good, how do you know for sure? Because all I heard while I was eating was Mmmmm, Mmmmm, this is so good lover :)

So for the pizza dough I used a packet of yeast "Specially designed for making pizza" (that's what it said on the package).  I thought, okay no waiting around for it to rise, I can just mix it all up and slap it on the pizza pan...well it was that easy, except when I removed the pizza from the oven, the only think that changed about the crust around the edge was that it got hard, no rise, no chewy dough, just crispy extras.  It was good, but I was hoping for something a little more thicker.  I'm wondering if it was because I used whole-wheat flour instead of the all-purpose flour that the packet of yeast called for. Who knows.  I used cornmeal and flour when I rolled the dough out, hoping it would make the bottom and top more crispy/less gooey.  But that didn't seem to matter.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Follow the instructions on the packet of yeast if you don't want to use whole wheat flour.  I used whole wheat flour and a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to "make it healthier". 

My husband loves meat, all types and lots of it.  So this is how the pizza was layered.  I placed a thin layer of provolone cheese across the entire bottom. Then on his side I placed  prosciutto, then all the veggies (green, yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms, black lives, onions and some sliced basil). I did all the same veggies on my side.  Then I added slices of turkey pepperoni to my side and then almost half a package of regular pepperoni to his side. After all the veggies were on, a generous amount of mozzarella cheese and few sprinkles of Parmesan cheese were added to the top. 

So I threw the pizza in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes or until I noticed that the cheese was "golden brown" and there were juices bubbling over the edge. The house smelled amazing and I was getting hungry!

And so, there we have it. A homemade, semi-healthy pizza made with love. Needless to say this pizza will be gone in 2 days, but I would much rather make a pizza like this anytime instead of buying a greasy pizza with processed meats and sauces. Nothing beats a homemade pizza and you know what ingredients are in it. Overall, DELISH!

So this is my FIRST ever official blog. I never thought I would have a blog, but then again anything is possible.  I've decided that my blogs will be about meals i've cooked for my husband and I, or just for myself. The blogs are endless and I hope to be wonderful.


On the menu tonight, well lets just say it's not a "common" meal that one would make, but I like variety in my meals. So tonight we had home made butternut squash soup and what I call "Pacos Fish Tacos."  Over-all its a very healthy meal, no preservatives and everything was fresh.  


Butternut Squash Soup


1 large butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut in small cubes.
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 TBS green onions
2TBS purple onions
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup chicken-broth (may add more depending on how thick you would like it)
salt and pepper 


Place the garlic and onions in a large pot and cook until soft.  Add squash and water and cook until soft-took about 20 minutes on medium heat, i left the lid on.  
Place entire pot of "goodness" into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Return mixture to pot and place on low heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer on low for about 10 more minutes and enjoy.  You can garnish with chopped green onions or oyster crackers.  




Paco's Fish Tacos (nope, don't know a Paco!)


2 pounds grouper fish fillets or whatever kind of fish you like
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
1 lime
Hot sauce
Bib or green leaf lettuce leaves, for wrapping
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves
3 sprigs fresh mint
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped

Heat grill pan or nonstick skillet over high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Place fish on grill, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes on each side, until opaque.

Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter. Place jalapeno in a food processor with cilantro, mint, mustard and vinegar. Turn processor on and stream in oil. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Take the fish off grill and place on a serving plate. Break the fish into chunks and squeeze lime juice over fish. Add a few dashes hot sauce to the fish.

Pile fish in lettuce leaves and top with sauce and chopped red onions.

These actually turned out to be quite amazing, as did all of it. If you don't like hot sauce, don't add it. I give my husband the bottle of hot sauce and he adds what he wants, that way I can enjoy my food without having to chase it with a gallon of milk.