{ Herb Dip with Feta and Greek Yogurt }

Yum Yum Yum Yum! I was craving some kind of dip to go with my pita chips, and this absolutely hit the spot. Thank goodness my dear sister in law has inspired me to always have feta in my fridge. I did not however have all the fresh herbs the original recipe asked for so I substituted dried for a few of them and it was still delicious. Here is what I did. The link will take you to the original recipe.

Adapted from Bread and Courage

1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried parsley
6 leaves of fresh basil (I have this in a planter so I had fresh available)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, white and green parts, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 a package of fat free cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl and dip dip dip!

Potato Pepperjack Cheese Soup

As a forewarning, this soup can get a little spicy. It's not like 10-peppers-in-my-som-tum kind of spicy (Thailand reference, sorry), but it's got enough kick to get your nose running by the end of your bowl. For some, the spiciness is a turn-on, not so much for others. Just thought I'd warn you.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced potatoes (I used 4 red potatoes-they hold their shape well)
1 green bellpepper, diced
1 red bellpepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 strips bacon, cooked to crispiness and crumbled (use as much bacon as you want! don't let me limit your bacon use!)
cooking spray
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
4-6 oz. pepperjack cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half&half (this was definitely hearty enough that you don't need cream. You could even split and go half milk and half half&half)
For the roux:
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Boil potatoes in a pot of water. While potatoes cook, saute other vegetables over medium-high heat in medium sized frying pan, covering pan in cooking spray. Once potatoes are soft, drain the water from the potatoes. Add the sauted vegetables to the potatoes in the pot.

Cook your bacon and crumble it somewhere in all this.

Add to the vegetable pot the chicken broth, half&half, white pepper, salt, thyme, and cheese. Set over medium-low heat to simmer. Try not to burn this mixture. That would not be very delicious.

While the big pot is simmering, get a small pan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together. Once mixed well, add directly to the soup pot and stir in to thicken.

Enjoy!

Serves 4-5.

Oh, and best served with some yummy homemade bread or rolls!

My last disclaimer: I love eating healthy, but I do not want to kid anyone into thinking this is a healthy dinner. It's loaded with saturated fat to be sure! But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it! Just load it with vegetables, limit the bacon, use your half&half and you're good! Well, sort of...

Isareli Couscous with Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

*You can use any vegetables you want in this recipe. If you stick with everything exactly on this list, it makes for an interesting grocery store trip. We went a little "Mediterranean" with this one and it was definitely yummy, but go for anything (well not just anything, but you know...)!"

2 cups uncooked whole wheat pearled couscous
2 cups water with 2 cups chicken broth
1 TBSP fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
Favorite marinade (I used lemon garlic and loved it)
Asparagus, approx. 15-20 stalks; woody ends removed, chopped in bite sized peices
1 red bellpepper, chopped in bite sized pieces
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped in bite sized pieces
1/2 2 onion, chopped in bite sized pieces
Julienned sundried tomatoes (I omitted this, but I'm sure it's delicious with them. I used fresh tomatoes instead- still good)
1/2 can artichoke hearts, cut in bite sized pieces
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup spinach, thinly sliced
Balsamic vinegar, to taste (I used about 2 TBSP)
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring chicken broth and water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous and oregano, cover and simmer until the chicken broth is absorbed, approximately 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Marinate chicken then grill on gas stove or grill (I pan cooked it in bite sized pieces and it was still delicious. I just don't have a grill. Sad face). When cool enough to handle, cut into bite sized pieces.

Toss the asparagus, red pepper, and mushrooms with olive oil to coat. Heat a grill or pan and cook until vegetables are tender crisp. Saute the onion in olive oil until golden brown.

In a large bowl combine the couscous with the chicken, vegetables, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, and spinach. Toss with balsamic vinegar. Toss in feta cheese and pine nuts. S&P to taste.

{Burrito Bake}

This was a deliciously creamy dinner. I was in the mood for something "satisfying" last night and this is what we came up with. Rob and I had worked out hard that morning and were both starving by dinner. This hit the spot:

Ingredients

4 tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can of sliced olives
1 can of corn

1 package of taco seasoning

1 C sour cream ( or in our case, whatever is left in fridge )

1 can of beans, what ever you prefer, re-fried, black, pinto, red, or none at all

2 C shredded cheese ( I think a Mexican blend or pepper jack is the best)

Hot sauce or salsa

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 

2) Combine the cream of chicken soup and the sour cream together in a bowl.

3) Brown the hamburger with the diced onions. Drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning. If you use re-fried beans stir them in at this time.

4) In a casserole dish, lay down layer of the soup and sour cream mixture. Top with half of the meat mixture, olives, corn, beans and cheese. Add hot sauce or salsa here if desired. Then tear up 2 of the tortillas and layer on top. Repeat with the remaining halves, but with-hold the cheese until after you top the casserole with the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of this. 

5) Bake uncovered for 20-30 mins. The cheese will be bubbly and the top tortillas will be a bit crunchy. Serve warm with some extra salsa. Enjoy! YUM.

Curry-Spiced Sweet Potatoes

This recipe came from the My Recipes website as featured in "Cooking Light"...my favorite magazine! It was mighty delicious. I used a little bit of the unflavored cooked potatoes, with a dash of curry powder, to make some baby food as well. Two birds with one stone. Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS

• 6 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/3 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION

• 1. Place potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well; return to pan. Keep warm.
• 2. Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots to pan; cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar, salt, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add shallot mixture, half-and-half, and lemon juice to potato. Mash potato mixture with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Fresh Peach Pie

Two posts in one day- Anna won't believe it!

Yesterday, our ward had a pie making competition for the Pioneer day celebration activity, and I thought I would participate. Being summer, I thought it only fitting to bring a fresh fruit pie. I debated only shortly between strawberry and peach once I remembered I'd read this recipe on Debbie's blog. So peach I brought- and Third place I won!

Now what to do with my prize of canned imitation snow and Utah Jazz thunder sticks?

Peach Pie

Step 1: Bake Pie Crust (you can make your own, or just buy the Pillsbury pie crust and then bake it) I used the recipe from Annie's eats blog. It was delish!

Step 2: Jello Mixture
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
5 TBL corn starch
Bring to boil and cook on stove top until thick
Add 6 TBL peach jello (1 pkg)
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBL butter
Let this mixture cool

Step 3: Cream Cheese Filling
Mix 8 oz. softened package of cream cheese 1 cup of cool whip
1 cup of powdered sugar
Smooth in bottom of pie crust

Step 4: peel and slice 10-12 peaches (My pan only allowed for 6 peaches)

Line pie crust with cream cheese filling, sliced peaches, and top with jello mixture and chill.

*Slight alterations I would recommend: Add the peaches to the jello mixture before you put it all in the pie pan. And I served it with fresh whipped cream!

**This is NOT a healthy dessert. But some things are worth the calories...

CHICKEN CURRY POT PIE

This is a delicious recipe I am posting that I got from my sister-in-law, Afton. I've made very slight adjustments as noted below:

For the filling:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon curry powder (I used more of both kinds of curry)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 red onion, sliced into half moons
2 sweet potatos, peeled and cubed
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup frozen peas (I used shelled edamame)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro


1. Melt butter, add the flour, and stir the paste for a while. Add the chicken stock and stir. Add the coconut milk and stir. Add the curry paste, curry powder, and salt.
2. Add the onions and sweet potatoes to the pan, and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
3. Add the chicken, frozen edamame, and chopped herbs. The filling is done!

4. Make some pie crust. Fill up the ramekins with the filling, then cover with a circle of pie crust. Cut a slit in the crust. You can freeze them at this point, or cook them for 15-20 minutes at 325 right away. (Mine needed 25 min)

Note: I like to use the whole can of chicken stock and the whole can of coconut milk, so I don't have leftovers. I just guess on all the other ingredients, increasing them by about 50 percent. In my opinion, you can't have too many sweet potatoes or too much curry paste and powder. Then I just make as many pies as I can with the filling I have. This recipe as it is should make about four ramekin-sized pies, I think.