Small Batch- White Chocolate Bread Pudding

The original recipe makes so much- unless you're feeding a crowd you may end up wasting a good bit.  This is a revised version of the original recipe that yields one 11 x 7 pan which was the perfect amount.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding (Prairie Fire Grill recipe)- REVISED for small batch

Ingredients

6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup(s) sugar
1/4 quart(s) heavy cream
9 ounce(s) white chocolate chips
3/4 loaf white bread, crust removed
1/4 teaspoon(s) vanilla
1/2 quart(s) half and half
1 cup(s) graham cracker crumbs
1cup brown sugar
1/4 cup(s) butter
1/2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
2 tablespoons cocoa


Directions
In a greased 11 x 7 baking dish, layer bread into 2 layers. Cut and trim as necessary to get good coverage.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until bright yellow.
Heat the cream, half and half and vanilla until it begins to boil.
Add white chocolate chips to egg mixture and stir in the hot cream until all of the chocolate is melted.
Pour this pudding mixture over the bread, making sure to manipulate the bread soaking every layer with the pudding mixture.
Topping: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa. Apply the topping by spreading it out evenly over the surface. Let the pudding stand OVERNIGHT before you place it into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

 Butternut Squash Vegetable Lasagna - no pasta!

I'm a big fan of podcasts, how about you?  Any recommendations, please share!

The other day I was listening to Alie Ward's Ologies and the featured guest was Mariah Gladstone an Indigenous Cuisinologist who discussed many of her traditional native foods and dishes.  One dish she described used butternut squash as the lasagna 'noodles' which inspired this creation.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 zucchini squash
• 2 containers of fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 white onion
• 2 bags of fresh spinach
• shredded parmesan cheese
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 block of cream cheese
• 1 jar of pasta sauce
• Italian seasoning

Peel and slice the butternut squash into circles.  First, put it in the microwave for 60-90 seconds to make peeling easier.  Separate the top part from the bottom part and slice each peeled section into circles (removing the seeds from the bottom part once you get to them.  I use a melon baller.  Works great!).

Layer the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with squash medallions, cutting them into smaller shapes to fit any uncovered area.  Add a second layer of sliced zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with bit of Italian seasoning, cheese, cover with pasta sauce and top with cheese (a handful of each).

Add a second layer of butternut squash circles, filling in as needed once again.  Sautee mushrooms (I sautee in butter and soy sauce, adding some thinly sliced onion to the party).  In a separate pan, sautee spinach in olive oil (I also add a bit of thinly sliced onion here too).  When spinach is shrunken down, add cream cheese and mix until combined.  Spread mushrooms on the butternut squash layer, then the spinach mixture.  Top with cheese, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, and a drizzle of sauce.  

Add a final layer of butternut squash circles, drizzle with olive oil, cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake covered for 25 minutes, then uncovered for another 20 on 350 degrees.  Cool then cut into squares and serve with a fresh sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Feel free to add your own variations of vegetables to make it your own. The original inspiration called for a meat sauce- which sounds yummy too!

EASY French Onion Soup

I originally got a recipe from a friend for French Onion Soup with Chicken Meatballs (you can find it HERE).  It was amazing, but I tweaked the recipe like I tend to do and wanted to write my version of the soup down.

The original recipe calls for beef stock (which I did not have) and a few other ingredients that I omitted.  What I've ended up with is a super easy and delicious French Onion Soup recipe. As always, no precision was used in any of the measurements in real life.

Onions (2-3) Sweet onions, sliced
Red Onion (1/2) sliced
Minced Garlic Cloves
Sliced Shallots
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 package of Chicken Broth
2 Chicken Boullion cubes
Soy Sauce (1/4 C)
Salt
Pepper


Melt the stick of butter in a large pot (I used my dutch oven) and add the sliced onions, garlic, and shallots.  I really just sliced up whatever onion-ey things I had.  Don't stress if you don't have all the things I listed in the recipe.  Sautee the onions until soft, add some salt and pepper to the party.  (Your kitchen will smell amazing!)

Once softened, add the Chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer.  Add about 6 cups of water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes.  Simmer some more.  Add soy sauce and stir.  Serve with a hunk of sourdough bread (or whatever you might have).  Top with shredded Gruyere cheese, or a blend of white cheeses of your choice.  I actually have sourdough bread bowls I made last weekend waiting in the freezer (quarantine project #217: bread baking) and cannot wait to bust them out for a bowl of French Onion Soup!

Crock-Pot Crazy Pineapple Chili (Courtesy of Two Healthy Kitchens)

 •  Freezable  •  Make Ahead  •  Gluten Free  •

Prep Time10 min.

Cook Time4-8 hours

Total Time10 minutes

Serves About 10 cups

    

Ingredients

·         20 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage (bulk, or links with casings removed)

·         1 medium onion, chopped to equal about 2 cups

·         1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits in juice (divided)

·         2 28-ounce cans seasoned diced tomatoes (such as Dei Fratelli)

·         1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

·         1 6-ounce can tomato paste

·         1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

·         4 teaspoons ground cumin

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         shredded reduced-fat cheese, reduced-fat sour cream and hot sauce (such as Tapatío) for serving, if desired

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Directions

1.    In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook sausage and onions, stirring to crumble sausage. Once sausage is cooked through, drain off any fat and transfer the sausage and onions to your slow cooker.

2.    Drain the pineapple, reserving both the juice and the fruit separately. Add the juice to the slow cooker. Cover and store the fruit in the refrigerator (it will be added toward the end of cooking).

3.    Add tomatoes, black beans, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and garlic to the slow cooker.

4.    Stir everything to combine.

5.    Cook on low (6-8 hours), adding reserved pineapple during last hour or two of cooking, or on high (4-5 hours), adding pineapple during last ½ hour - hour of cooking.

6.    Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Pineapple: The texture of the cooked pineapple is completely controlled by when you add it. We prefer to add it toward the end of cooking time so that it's still fairly firm. If you prefer it to be more melded into the chili or you simply won't be able to add it toward the end of cooking, then you can toss it in at the beginning – it will be cooked down and much less pronounced in texture, but still very good.

Beans or no beans: If you don't want beans in your chili, you may certainly leave them out, and can also increase the amount of meat. We love the texture and the health benefits of the beans, but feel free to try it different ways!

Spice: This recipe is intentionally fairly mild and kid-friendly. If you'd like more spice, you can increase the chili powder and/or sub in spicy Italian turkey sausage. Perhaps the best way to make it versatile for different palates, though, is simply to pass hot sauce at the table so everyone can season to taste.

Make-ahead: You can prepare the meat and onions the evening before, and then refrigerate until you assemble your ingredients in the slow cooker. You can also make the chili entirely in advance and freeze it in large batches.

Recipe from Two Healthy Kitchens
https://twohealthykitchens.com/crock-pot-crazy-pineapple-chili/

Buffalo Chicken Soup

I was catching up on Facebook a couple of weeks ago and a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Soup in the crockpot caught my eye.  I was oddly intrigued trying to imagine what buffalo chicken wings would taste like in a soup. I made a mental note that I should try and make it sometime and for the life of me, I couldn't find it again when I wanted to make it for a potluck at work.  So I did what I always do... summoned up my magic Google powers, read about a dozen different recipes and put the best of what I read together to make my own version that was pretty dang tasty. Oh, and I added the secret, totally white trash but delicious ingredient:  Velveeta. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
diced carrots (about a cup)
diced celery (about a cup)
diced onions (about 1/4 cup)
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
2 cans of white meat chicken- could add more
(I'm going to use rotisserie chicken next time I think)
1 package of cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat kind)
1/4 of Frank's Hot Sauce (or more to taste)
1 big package (48oz) chicken stock
Velveeta queso blanco, about 8 oz or 1/3 the chunk

Rinse and prepare vegetables. (My Home Chef recipes always start like that so I thought I'd throw it in.  Just in case you were going to use dirty whole vegetables or something.) Place in crock pot along with chicken stock, cans of chicken (and chicken juice) and pretty much everything else on that list-- nothing special except cut the Velveeta up into cubes.  Cook on high 4 hours or low for 8, stirring occasionally to incorporate cheeses as they melt. You can top with shaved carrots, shredded cheese, and/or drips of Frank's to garnish.

Chicken and Rice Soup

This is the foundation for post-Thanksgiving Turkey and rice soup but works just as well with rotisserie chicken remnants.   Recently my local grocery was ransacked in anticipation of snow and the rotisserie chickens were no where to be found so I started with a couple of chicken breasts on the bone in the crock pot. It turned out great too.  The concept is the same and the secret ingredient is cracked black pepper. Lots of it. The rest is pretty simple but delicious.

Boil carcass to make your stock. Add celery and onion (big pieces) for flavor. This is where I use the leafy celery since it’s just for flavor. Boil until it’s coming apart and pour into a new pot through a colander. Pick through the solids and chop up the good white meat you find. Throw the rest of yuckky stuff and big pieces of celery and onion away.  Note: my aversion to “gick” limits me to white meat only in the soup. If you feel differently, it’s your soup. Include it!

If you have time and want to save on calories, cover and chill overnight. Skim the fat from the top before proceeding.

Basic ingredients:
Celery- chopped. About a cup
Carrots (a cup or so- I like to use baby carrots to make round bits but any kind will do)
Finely diced onion- about 1/4 C
1 1/2  C Rice or so (any kid- white is my go to but wild or brown also works)
Garlic powder
Cracked black pepper- never have measured... 1 Tbs?
1 Bay Leaf  (maybe 2)
Chicken buillion- a cube or two depending on how flavorful the stock was. (I prefer Knorrs)
Water

Start with the rice and bring the broth to a boil. Add water as needed. I would say at least two cups. Maybe 6 by the time It’s all said and done depending on how much gets soaked up by the rice. Boil for about 10 minutes and add the chopped vegetables and spices.

Continue cooking over low heat until rice and vegetables are  tender and you’re ready to serve. I like to add crackers.

Enjoy!

Snack Basket Chicken

I have kids so we have lots of small bags of snacks- especially Goldfish.  If your kids are anything like mine, I also have lots of half-eaten bags of snacks that end up in the "snack basket".  One day I thought I would use my repurposing skills and make breadcrumbs for chicken, and voila!  Snack Basket Chicken was born.  I've used Cheetos, Potato Chips, Pretzels, Cheez-its, etc in the mix and it all seems to turn out well.  Heck- my 5 year old sous chef actually requests Snack Basket Chicken regularly.

4 (or whatever works for your family) boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Various snacks as listed above
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese

Place random snack assortment in a food processor and crush to breadcrumb consistency.  Add spices- listed above and/or add your favorites.  I don't measure, so if I had to guess, I'd say 2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp seasonings, 2 TBS Parmesan cheese, dashes of salt and pepper.

I don't dip the chicken in eggs or anything to save some calories, but you certainly could.  I just take the rinsed chicken and dredge it in a bowl with the crumb/seasoning mix.  I flip it over and make sure it's well coated and place it on a greased (sprayed) cookie sheet, allowing space for each chicken breast.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or until the thermometer says "Safe!!" (160 degrees)

Oh….FUDGE!

For some reason I had it in my head that making fudge was some big ordeal that was majorly complicated.  I had memories of my Gramma with her candy thermometer and a kitchen full of pots and pans.  So imagine my surprise when I used my Google powers and found out that fudge is actually easy to make!  I changed the white chocolate one enough to truly call it mine, but the chocolate one is courtesy of allrecipes.com where you can find several yummy variations.

I wanted to make a little "Christmas Happy" for my work friends, and thought a little bag of home made sweets would be nice.  It seems to have been a hit!  My 5 year old sous chef suggested we make another batch of the white fudge with pretzels, hence the recipe below, although we originally did the cookies and creme version from allrecipes.com and it was yummy.  I keep thinking of other variations-- Craisins, crushed candy canes, dark chocolate covered blueberries…the possibilities are endless!


White Chocolate Pretzel Fudge
2 packages of white chocolate chips
2 cans of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups of crushed pretzels



Chocolate Fudge (found on Allrecipes.com)
2 packages of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 cans of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 stick of butter


Place chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a pan on low heat. Add the stick of butter. Occasionally stir as the mixture melts.  Line a 9x13 inch pan with waxed paper or foil and put the mixture in and smooth out.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  Turn upside down on a large cutting board and cut into little squares.

Retail Beef Cuts

Here is some valuable information from Rick Bakas, who I recently started following on Twitter. Rick has a wonderful website: http://www.rickbakas.com/ which is a "cornucopia of wine and food geekery." Rick is a Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers. His passion is finding the perfect wine and food pairing. His blog is a place where he shares success stories and not-so-successful stories while on this quest.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the choices of beef cuts avaiable, so I found this very helpful. I hope you do too! Just click on the image to see the full size graphic.

Chicken Tortilla Soup- Crockpot Style

Yesterday was a snowy, stay in the house kind of day and I had chicken. I looked at cookbooks several cookbooks, and finally found inspiration on the Tastefully Simple website. Did you know you can enter in a product you have and an ingredient and it will list all of the recipes using those ingredients? It's pretty helpful- you should check it out.

Anyway, I found a recipe there that was an inspiration for this creation. I loved the fact that I threw everything in the pot and let it go all day. If you don't have the Tastefully Simple ingredients, you can improvise, of course. OR- you can always call me or visit my website to order ;-) www.tastefullysimple.com/cferguson1


3 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Corn & Black Bean Salsa
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of diced Jalapenos (mine were hot, and well...quite frankly this soup was even spicy to me!! I would suggest medium or mild)
1 Can of diced tomatoes
4 Cups of Water
4 Chicken Bullion Cubes
2 TBS of Fiesta Party Dip (TS)
Salt, Pepper, hot sauce to taste
Some crushed tortilla chips if desired

Combine all ingredients in your crock pot. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, stirring occasionally. Before serving, remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with forks and place back in pot.

Serve with shredded cheddar and sour cream, if desired.

Crock Pot Potatoes Au Gratin

I'm not really sure why, but I think you need to eat beef on Christmas Eve. When I woke up the morning of the 24th, I found my fridge at a whopping 87 degrees. It was a disgusting mess with the melted butter running down the back and all the containers fogging up from their decomposition. Needless to say, the pot roast I was planning to cook was lost, so I had to completely recreate my Christmas Eve Menu.

I decided on steaks (which were OK- I have to remember that making the extra trip to Fresh Market or Whole Foods is worth it for good steaks- Publix...mediocre at best.) Since the idea of pot roast potatoes I had planned had perished in the fridge fiasco, I had to come up with a plan B.

I sliced my potatoes thinly with the mandolin and threw them in the crock pot on high. I added a little olive oil, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese and yes- Velveeta because nothing that contains melted cheese can be denied this white trash delicacy in my opinion. I spiced it up with Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic, salt and pepper. I set the sucker on high and went to church. About two and a half hours later, I had this amazing Potato Au Gratin waiting for the steaks. I threw a bit of bread crumbs on top to finish it off and there you have it. Super easy and a happy, yummy creation courtesy of someone not getting the fridge closed all the way the night before. I'm not pointing fingers, however....it wasn't me for the record. ;-)

Crock Pot Chicken and Noodles

I'm not sure about you, but sometimes fixing dinner is the last thing I want to do after a busy day. I love good crock pot recipes because you come home to a wondrous smell and dinner is done. Kind of like that Ronco thingie: set it and forget it (ha!)

So I threw this together the other night, cooked up some egg noodles and served it with a salad and I was done. I have to admit, it was pretty tasty!

Boneless, skinless Chicken breasts
1 can of Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 Chicken bullion cubes
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. seasons to your taste
Egg noodles

Ok, this is pretty simple: put the chicken in the crock pot, cover with soup, add seasonings and bullion cubes and cook on low all day (at least 6 hrs). Prepare egg noodles when you come home and serve chicken and gravy over noodles. Add a side salad to get your "green" points for the day.

Beer Cheese Soup

There's a restaurant in Denver I used to haunt called Woody's Wood Fired Pizza. On their buffet, they had this amazing beer cheese soup which is what inspired this recipe. Perfect for football!

1 Cup Flour
2 bottles of Beer  (I generally use light beer, but a good IPA is also tasty)
1 Stick Butter
Diced Potatoes (about 6 cups)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 Diced Onion
2 Diced Shallots
Celery Seed
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (about 2 Cups)
Velveeta (about 6 oz)


In one saute pan, cook your onions and shallots until translucent in a bit of olive oil. In a big stock pot, melt the stick of butter and add flour to make a roux, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Add in the onions and shallots. Add in the diced potatoes and bouillon cubes and enough water to cover for cooking. Stir. Turn up the heat to start a boil, then reduce temperature and continue cooking until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

When potatoes are tender, add about 2 cans of beer- any kind. The more flavorful the beer, the more flavorful the soup. Continue cooking on low, and add garlic powder, celery seed, salt, pepper and any other seasoning you might like.

Time to add the cheese. Dice Velveeta into cubes and immerse in hot soup. Sprinkle shredded cheddar in the mix too, stirring all the while.  Add a little more beer at the end. Maybe a little more cheese too.  Up to you and your specific tastes.

I like to serve the soup topped with shredded cheddar and bacon bits on top.

Groovy Gravy

Does the art of gravy making escape you? For many years it did me. I've tried many techniques, and this is the winner. Tried, true, tested and simple...here's the secret:

2 tsp of butter
2 Tbs Flour
Juice from meat

Melt butter in large sauce pan
Add flour to the melted butter and stir, over medium heat so the flour can cook (rids it of the raw taste) and combine with the butter fat. When butter/flour mixture is brown in color, add juice 1 ladle at a time. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon, making sure to mush out any and all flour lumps. Continue to add juices until gravy is at the desired consistency.

Crock Pot Pot Roast (with beer)

So, this is so simple I hesitate to call it a "recipe" but I promise you won't be disappointed!

1 Sirloin Roast (This cut is the key for ANY pot roast, trust me!)
Garlic Cloves
Onion
Potatoes
Montreal Seasoning (or any other garlic/pepper/salt seasonings you have)
1 Crock Pot

Place roast in crock pot. Stab meat with paring knife and make pockets into which you will place peeled garlic cloves at random. Sprinkle with Montreal seasoning. Place whole, small red skinned potatoes on top.(Don't bother to cut them up, you can do that later) Add chopped onion (about 1/2) just on top of the meat. If so desired, you may also add more root veggies like carrots to the mix. Final touch: one can of beer. You pick the flavor. Place crock pot on low and cook it "low and slow" (the other key to a good pot roast) for 7+ hours. Come home to the smell of yummy goodness- separate components to serve...with something green- I insist!!! (can o green beans is good and quick or roasted Asparagus pairs nicely) and make fab gravy to accompany (recipe to follow).

Hot Curry Lentil Soup

I've had a bag of dried lentils in the closet for months, and just have never gotten around to doing anything with them. Today while at Publix perusing the organic section, I saw Curry Lentil Soup on the shelf. BINGO! Here it is, folks!

Hot Curry Powder (courtesy of Penzey's Spices)
Dried Lentils
Chicken Bullion Cubes
1/4 diced onion
2 Tbs Garlic Garlic (www.tastefullysimple.com/cferguson1)
1 tsp Seasoned Salt (Tastefully Simple)
1/4 milk
1 Tbs Sour Cream

Rinse the dried lentils and place them in a crock pot on low with 4 cups of water and 2 chicken bullion cubes. Add onion, Garlic Garlic(or similar)Seasoned Salt and Hot Curry Powder. Stir. If you don't have a love affair with hot spicy things as I do, you could easily use plain curry instead of the hot stuff. However, this Hot Curry Powder from Penzey's Spices (http://www.penzeys.com) is fan-freakin-tastic!!!
Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more water as the lentils cook.

When desired tenderness is reached (and this can only be discovered by taking a little taste here and there, y'know. But don't forget to wash the spoon!!)break out your immersion blender. Add milk, sour cream and any additional seasoning you may need and run the immersion blender through until desired consistency is reached. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and extra hot sauce (if desired). A little green garnish may be nice too, like a fresh sprig of parsley.

Yum! Healthy too! According to Wikipedia.org, "With approximately 26% of their calories from protein, lentils and generally any pulses or legumes have the third-highest level of protein, by weight, of any plant-based food after soybeans and hemp[2] and is an important part of the diet in many parts of the world, especially in the Indian subcontinent which has large vegetarian populations." Enjoy!

Thai Black Bean Soup

This was completely stolen by my friend Jennifer. Steal with pride and give credit where credit is due, right?

3 Cans of Black Beans
Fresh Cilantro
2 cans of light coconut milk
Garlic
Chicken broth
Hot Sauce
Cumin

Rice
Low fat sour cream


Empty cans o beans into large pot. Finely dice about 1/4 cup of cilantro. Add two cans of coconut milk. Add about 2 cups of chicken broth (or water and chicken bullion in a pinch). Add about 1 tsp of cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic (garlic powder or Tastefully simple Garlic Garlic) Add hot sauce appropriate to your level of spice tolerance.

Cook rice separately.

Combine ingredients and simmer. At the end use an immersion blender to puree the beans to a semi-smooth consistency.

To serve, place a tablespoon of rice in the bottom of the bowl. Add soup. Garnish with a dollop of low fat sour cream, a cilantro sprig and extra hot sauce if desired.

Sun Dried Tomato and Chicken Pasta

This was a product of "Oh heck- what am I going to make for dinner tonight?" Been there, haven't you? It turned out really tasty, so I decided to share. Feel free to improvise with whatever you may have in your pantry.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
Sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil) about 1/2 cup
1 can of ripe olives
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
Spaghetti noodles
Olive oil
Seasonings- I used the new Garlic Pepper from Tastefully Simple in this and it was very good!

Placed diced chicken into a pan coated with a bit of olive oil. Saute until cooked through. Add sun dried tomatoes (undrained). Drain ripe olives and mushrooms. Add to pan with chicken and sun dried tomatoes. Add can of (undrained) regular tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Add seasonings (garlic, salt, pepper...etc-) to taste. Simmer on stove top for about 10 minutes and serve over pasta.

Pineapple Chipotle Tilapia

Oh my goodness...this was fantastic if I do say so myself. It's a spin on "Tilapia in Ten" posted previously with a Caribbean twist using Tastefully Simple Pineapple Chipotle Salsa. Super easy, very low cal...what more can you ask for?

Tilapia Fillets
Tastefully Simple Pineapple Chipotle Salsa
Olive Oil

Place a bit of the olive oil in a pan with a lid. Bring heat up, insert fish fillets. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on one side, turn. Add about 3/4 of a cup of Pineapple Chipotle Salsa. Place lid on and poach until fish is flaky and cooked through (about 5 more minutes.) Serve with Basmati rice and black beans.

I think a meatier fish like Mahi Mahi or Doro would also be yummy- and you could always do black beans and yellow rice with it as well- Vigo has an excellent pre-packaged product that is ready in 30 minutes- you just add it to boiling water with a bit of olive oil.

Interested in learning more about Tastefully Simple products? Visit my website: www.tastefullysimple.com/cferguson1 Currently I am doing a "mystery host" party so you may even win some free product!

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken

This was the "chicken experiment" of the night- and it turned out really nice. I'm not a big fan of peppers, actually I hate the green ones. I can tolerate the red and yellow ones and kind of like roasted red peppers. Peppers are so good for you with vitamin A, C fiber and even a bit of protein. They are very low in calories, no fat. When I was putting this dish together I envisioned it to be thicker, but the happy accident of a thinner sauce was a bonus.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts- "de-gicked"
1/2 block (4oz) of light cream cheese
about 3 fire roasted red peppers (I used the jar kind "Del Destino" from Costco)
1/2 C parmesean cheese
Salt
Pepper
Granulated Garlic

In your Cuisinart, place the red peppers and zip them up. Add the cream cheese and parmesean cheese and blend until smooth. Add spices, and give it another whirl or two to blend.

Take your chicken breasts and pound out a bit. Spoon about 1 Tbs of red pepper mixture into the chicken, roll. Place filled chicken breasts in a 9 x 11 Pyrex dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with remaining sauce and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches >170 degrees.

Serve over spaghetti noodles with the chicken breast in the middle, covered with sauce and a bit of parsley to make it look pretty. Don't forget your green veggie- we had steamed broccoli tonight and the sauce was excellent on the broccoli as well.