Pasta with Italian Turkey Sausage, Peppers, and Kale

This dish was awesome.  I got the recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipe.  I changed it a bit for my taste and what I could find in my stores.    I ate a lot of it, but it was healthier than other alternatives so I didn't feel quite so guilty.

12 oz whole wheat penne pasta 
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped  (I used a roasted red pepper)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing
1 bunch of kale, slice
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Rinse kale and  tear into bite sized pieces.  Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water.  Reserve 1 cup water before draining.  While pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil; when hot add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper.   Cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.  Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add kale, cover and cook 2 minutes; remove the cover, stir and cook about 3 more minutes or until wilted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Add cooked pasta, red pepper flakes, reserved water and Parmigiano Reggiano, toss well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

I am kind of going through a coconut obsession right now.  The bags of coconut creme kisses I have downed could prove that.  These chicken fingers from Our Best Bites are awesome.  They are crispy and they have a little kick from the curry and the cayenne.  My five year old ate four of them.  He kept begging for more!  Port ate them over a salad with a honey dijon dressing.  They were delicious!!

12 chicken tenders
2 eggs
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Give coconut a rough chop so it’s about the same size as the panko pieces.  Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.  Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.  Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour.  Dip in egg.  Finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated. 

Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Tenders can be overcooked easily, so watch them closely.  The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

Bunny Buns

I was thumbing through the Friend magazine looking for a FHE lesson and I saw this cute recipe.  I thought it was a great idea for a family night treat and I love orange rolls.  My kids thought it was cool, but Port couldn't seem to see the bunny aspect of it.  They were delicious and I had to cut myself off before I downed more bunnies than I should have. 

1 package active dry yeast  or 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
5 1/2 cups flour, sifted
Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter

1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.
3. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.
4. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.
7. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
8. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.
9. For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.

Molten Chocolate Cake

My kindergartener received a coupon for a Domino's chocolate lava cake and we all sat around and watched him eat it.  I decided I was gonna try and make everyone else one.  I found this recipe from Betty Crocker and it was decadent and delicious.

Unsweetened baking cocoa
6 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Additional powdered sugar, if desired

1.Heat oven to 450°F. Grease bottoms and sides of six (6-oz) custard cups with shortening; dust with cocoa. In 2-quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool slightly.


2.In large bowl, beat whole eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk or eggbeater until well blended. Beat in 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in melted chocolate mixture and flour. Divide batter evenly among custard cups. Place cups on cookie sheet with sides.

3.Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until sides are set and centers are still soft (tops will be puffed and cracked). Let stand 3 minutes. Run small knife or metal spatula along sides of cakes to loosen. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over each cup; turn plate and cup over. Remove cup. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Garnish with kumquats. Serve warm.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

I was checking out Cooking Mama's Blog.  She posted this recipe.  I was so happy. She got it from an awesome mutual friend.  Kim made these for church activities and for some reason I never managed to get my hands on the recipe.  I have made these twice in two weeks.  I love how easy they are and so addicting!

Make one 9 X 13 pan of your favorite brownies.  Then add:

Cookie Dough Topping
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. flour
Mini chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour and mix well. Spread over cool brownies.

**This recipe could be doubled to fill an entire sheetcake pan.

Raspberry-Basalmic Glazed Chicken



This was a nice simple recipe.  I saw this on a website call Recipe Exchange.  I didn't want to spend the extra money for seedless raspberry preserves, but I wish I would have.  The seeds were the only thing I didn't like about this chicken.  It had great flavor.

1 tsp vegetable oil
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt divided
4 chicken breast halves
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skilled coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; sautee 5 minutes. Combine thyme and 1/4 tsp salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to skillet; sautee 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/4 tsp salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring constantly until the preserves melt. Spoon raspberry sauce over sliced chicken. Makes 4 servings.