April Fools! (yeah, about a month late)

First of all, sorry for making this email everyone. I couldn't, for the life of me, remember what my password was and that was the only way to get a password reset link.

Now, on with the cooking. I love April Fools because I love pranks, but I never really celebrate it. I'm absolutely terrible with thinking of good enough pranks to pull on April Fools without raising suspicion. I first heard about this a long time ago, and always wanted to try it, so it seemed like the perfect time. I should also say that this was actually last year's April Fools, but I still think it's good enough to share.

Cupcakes anyone?

APRIL FOOLS! IT'S MEATLOAF!

With mashed potato frosting.

They were spit out a few times, but only because it's not what anyone was expecting. Once people realized what they were eating, they finished it. They were actually really freaking delicious.

There was no special recipe, it's just whatever meatloaf you like, and I used instant mashed potatoes (plus A LOT of food coloring). The only thing is to make sure you have foil cupcake liners. The meat cooks into a weird shape, so the foil holds the shape of a cupcake better. Plus, I'm pretty sure paper liners would just absorb juices and be soggy. Gross.

I would definitely recommend this if you want to get coworkers or something. EVERYONE will fall for it, and you'll be super popular.

My First Post!! Chicken Pockets

Hello Everyone! I've been meaning to do this for a while and I finally have internet connection and freetime!!! So here they are Chicken Pockets. They are a hit with all my friends who have tried them and I hope you will like them!!!

Here's What You need:

1 Can of Crescent Rolls

Plain Cream Cheese (Or Cream of Mushroom Soup if you don't like Cream Cheese)

1 Lb of chicken

any/all your favorite seasonings (We normally use Lemon Pepper, Marjoram, and Oregano)

Butter or Olive oil

Let's get Started!

First thing you have cut the chicken into small pieces. I've noticed its easier if you do this before you cook it but I've done it after as well. Add the chicken and the seasonings together and cook in the butter/oil until the chicken is white.

Ok Next step is make the outside layer. Now you get to bust open the crescent rolls! (Save the cooking instructions!!!) Once you finally get then open, you need to make big triangles! You do this by taking 2 normal crescent rolls and putting the flat side together and mashing it together, (it doesn't have to be pretty but one can should make 4).

Once this is done, you can put a layer of Cream Cheese on all of them and start putting chicken on all 4. As you put chicken on you can roll the triangles up and pinch the corners so you don't have any big holes, ( little holes are ok just none that you can put your finger through).

Put all the Chicken Pockets on a cookie sheet and bake like the crescent roll can says.

And once they get they're done just becareful the inside is really hot, (Trust me I burned my mouth this past weekend).

Ashley

Greek Turkey Burgers

Hey!
I promise this will be a quick post, I just wanted to share a delicious recipe Andrew and I (ok, well Andrew mostly) made for dinner Sunday night. These were relatively simple to make and came out tasting really great. I don't have any of our own pictures--I think we were too hungry and they were too good to stop and take any--so the picture above is from Southern Living, where we found the recipe. We ended up saving time by buying pre-made tzatziki sauce from Trader Joes. We also switched out the french hamburger buns and bought more of a flatbread, pita thing that we just cut to size for our burgers. For toppings, we used spinach, onions, and more feta, of course. We also made our own french fries, topping them with lemon juice, oregano, and feta (for a more Greek-style fry). If you can't tell, we're big feta lovers over here :) Yum Yum. Here's the recipe:

Greek Turkey Burgers
(adapted from Southern Living)
Total: 25 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
• 1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1(4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 12.oz. container of tzatziki sauce (aka cucumber sauce) or make your own
o 1/2 cup grated English cucumber
o 1 (6-oz.) container fat-free Greek yogurt
o 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
o 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 French hamburger buns, split and toasted
• Toppings: lettuce, spinach, tomato slices, thinly sliced cucumber, onions, and/or more feta!
• Garnish: pepperoncini salad peppers (we ended up not doing this)

Preparation
1. Stir together first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Or, just pull out your container of tzatziki sauce. Serve burgers on buns with cucumber sauce and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

Greek Feast! Lemon Yogurt Chicken Kabobs and Grilled Feta

Hi everyone!
Last weekend, Andrew and I celebrated Labor Day by going wine tasting with some friends. Afterwards, we had worked up quite the appetite, so went back over to our friends' place and made an awesome (and easy!) Greek dinner. Seriously, this couldn't have been an easier meal, which was good since we may have been just the tiniest bit tipsy after a day full of wine.

The first thing we made was Lemon Yogurt Chicken Kabobs. We cut up a couple boneless chicken breasts into 1 1/2 -2 inch pieces. We took about 2 1/2 cups of plain Greek yogurt (which you can get in any grocery store) and mixed it with 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup EV olive oil, a couple tablespoons of oregano and italian seasoning (really to taste), 4 minced garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. **Side note: Greek yogurt is richer and creamier than regular yogurt, with the consistency of sour cream, and it doesn't break down when exposed to high heat. You could still use regular plain yogurt if need be.** We added the chicken to this mixture and let it marinate for about an hour. We then skewered the pieces of chicken, layed on a baking pan, and broiled the kabobs in the oven till they looked finished. We kept the left over marinade and heated it up on the stove top until it looked like it was going to boil. We used this tasty mixture as dipping sauce for our kabobs!

Meanwhile, we cooked up some Greek Tomato Rice Pilaf (I don't have the recipe for that, but you could probably look that up anywhere on the internet) and made some traditional greek salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese, and cucumbers with a balsamice/olive oil vinaigrette).

Possibly the easiest thing we made, and probably my favorite, was the Grilled Feta. We just took wedges of pita bread and placed them on a foil lined cooking sheet (to help with cleanup). We then sliced an 8oz. block of feta into 1/2 in thick pieces and placed these on top of the pita. Then, we drizzled olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic over the feta. We also sprinkled a tiny bit of coarsely chopped fresh rosemary and some pepper. Once that was all set, we stuck these suckers in the oven until the feta just barely started to melt. This Grilled Feta was so so tasty and was a great side dish to our Greek feast. They could also be used as an appetizer to almost anything. Hope you enjoy!

The Last Supper

Hey guys!

I'm not really sure how to do any of this blogging stuff but am blessed by a creative sister who does. So, kudos to Alli for creating this blog and bringing this idea to light! Although I am not the best cook, I do love food and am always looking for fun new ideas to try in the kitchen. I thought this could be a good way to share recipes and tips and to keep in touch! So, without further ado...

"The Last Supper" (with my boyfriend until next school break) menu:

Basil Pesto Lasagna, Ciabatta, and Cabernet Franc

Red Velvet Cheesecake

I found the Pesto Lasagna recipe on one of the many Foodnetwork shows I watched during my break. The recipe calls to make your own pesto; however, the grocery store I typically shop at did not have enough basil on hand. So, I cheated and bought pre-made pesto. Three 7oz. containers of it in fact (I used Buitoni pesto). You then boil a pound of lasagna noodles and layer the noodles and the pesto in a casserole dish. The noodles kind of stuck together after boiling them and it was a little difficult to get them apart without tearing, so I would suggest putting a little olive oil in the pot when its boiling. You then sprinkle the top layer with parm cheese and bake for about 20 minutes. It came out tasting great and I even got a thumbs up from the boy! Plus, it was super easy, which is always good for me :) The pic at the top is what it looked like--you can see even our cat wanted a piece! Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I lost my camera so these pics were taken from a camera phone. Here's the recipe, including how to make the homemade pesto.

Pesto Lasagna Recipe :
Ingredients

For the pesto:
4 cups basil leaves, loosely packed, washed and tough stems trimmed and roughly torn
2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the lasagna:
1 pound fresh lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1-ounce)

Directions
For the pesto: Combine half pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until evenly combined, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and process until evenly blended, about 1 more minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.

For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in upper third.
Meanwhile, alternatively layer a scant 1/4 cup pesto and 1 sheet of fresh lasagna noodles in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish, trimming noodles, as needed, to fit. There should be about 10 to 12 layers. Top lasagna with cheese and bake until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.

The red velvet cheesecake was something I had been wanting to try for quite some time. I have a strong love for all things red velvet and a strong love for cheesecake, so the two together are just my kind of treat! For the crust I just used Oreo cookies (had to scrape out the middles) because I could not find regular chocolate wafer cookies. I also used about half of the red food coloring because a. I was worried about the sheer amount of red dye in my system and b. food coloring is expensive! I was still satisfied by the "redness" of the finished product. I was also a little worried about the cheesecake burning b/c the recipe does not say anything about putting the cheesecake in a water bath. To be on the safe side, I put it in one (it ended up being done in about an hour and 30 min). Although I've been having a difficult time getting pieces to come out in complete slices (it keeps falling apart), it tastes Ah-mazing! Hope you enjoy!

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Ingredients
***Crust***
1 1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon sugar

***Cheesecake***
3 packages (8 oz. size) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 bottles (1 oz. size) red food coloring

***Frosting***
1 package (3 oz. size) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract:

Directions:
Crust: Combine cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press into 9-inch spring-form pan.

Cheesecake: Beat cream cheese with sugar for 1 minute. Add eggs, cocoa, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar and food color. Mix on low speed jut until fully combined. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes until center is firm. Cool on wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread over cheese cake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish.

Talk to you all soon!

Bec

ps. I know the spacing is all screwy--please bear with me as I try to figure out how to use this thing!