Laura Fabulous: Cooking Adventures

Artichoke Spinach Dip

2011-12-03T16:11:00.000-05:00

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1½ cups (6 ounces) finely shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Paprika, to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Press the excess moisture from the spinach.
2. Combine the artichokes, spinach, 1¼ cups of Parmesan cheese, 1¼ cups of Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and garlic in a bowl and mix well.
3. Spoon the artichoke mixture into a 1½-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses on top, and then sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla or pita chips, crackers or vegetables.

Where is this recipe from???? http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/08/26/artichoke-spinach-dip/

Slow Cooker: Chicken and Dumplins

2011-12-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

Have I told you how amazing this recipe is???? Thanks Crock Pot Girls!

Chicken and Dumplings:
Feel free to substitute any ingredients you wish, and increase/decrease amounts for the size of your family!
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons of butter
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of celery soup
3 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
salt & pepper

*As for the dumplings… You can make your own dumplings, or use 1 (10 oz) package of refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
1. EXCLUDING THE BISCUITS put all ingredients in…
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
3. About an hour (give or take) before serving, remove chicken and pull into pieces and return to the soup mixture, place the torn biscuit dough in and cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Daddy Rocks Salsa

2011-08-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

The great thing about this recipe is that you can add more or less of each ingredient for your own liking. I added more garlic and less cilantro than the original because that's how I roll... I added the cilantro back to this recipe because everyone agreed I didn't put enough the first time!

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes chopped

1/4 cup yellow onion

1 Tsp minced garlic

1 Tsp ground cumin

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 banana pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup minced cilantro

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Pour into food processor or chopper and chop for a few seconds (just enough to chop it lightly, not puree).

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Add In's:

Black beans and corn (1 can of each, rinse the beans)

1/4 cup diced green mango

I titled this Daddy Rocks Salsa in honor of my father, who hovered the entire time I made it trying to tell me everything from which knife to how much lime juice to add... hee hee! Love you, Dad!

Please share your add-in and alterations!

Original Recipe from AARP Magazine (at my parent's house)

Hawaiian Chicken and Rice

2011-08-08T21:25:00.000-04:00

SLOW COOKER RECIPE:

Ingredients:

- 1 lb chicken

- 1 medium to large onion, chopped or sliced

- 2 medium bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or green), chopped or sliced

- Lawry's Hawaiian Marinade (bottle)

- 1 large can of Pineapple slices

- Salt and Pepper

- Garlic (minced or powder) (optional)

- Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

- Other seasonings to taste :)

- Rice (2-4 cups cooked) (1-2 cups uncooked)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker, top with half of marinade

2. add pineapple slices and juice from can

3. top with vegetables

4. pour remaining marinade over

5. add seasonings

6. cook on low for 8-10 hours

7. cook rice

8. serve over rice

Super California Pizza

2011-07-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

This is one of my absolute favorite things to make in the WORLD! I love Trader Joe's pizza dough, but any will work.... I have even used my bread maker to make dough, too. For you newbies, only wash the mushrooms you will use and save the rest for another recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Pizza dough, thawed and risen
Marinara sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 c Fresh spinach
1 large tomato thinly sliced
4 oz. (1/2 container) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
1-2 tbsp. minced garlic
Italian Seasoning
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Prepare pizza dough on floured surface. Spread over pizza pan. Don't roll up the edges yet.
3. Spread sauce evenly over dough. Roll up the edges
4. Top with most of the mozzarella, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese, and garlic. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over the top.
5. Bake about 20 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is melted.

Serve with fresh spinach salad and peach tea!

Christy's Fruit Smoothie

2011-07-22T12:37:00.000-04:00

Throw all these bad boys in the blender, pour into a to-go cup, and wala! Breakfast!

Ingredients:

1 handful of fresh strawberries
1 kiwi fruit, peeled
1 banana
1 small yogurt cup (pick your fav flavor... I like vanilla
1 handful if ice
a splash of milk (probably about 1/3 cup)
an ooze of honey, optional to make it sweeter (probably about 1 tbsp)

Directions:

1. Dump in blender and put lid on
2. Turn blender on... blend until smooth
3. Pour in to-go cup
4. Enjoy

Thanks to my student, Christy for sharing the idea... I added honey and banana, but I named it after her!

Pepperoni, Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Pasta Bake

2011-07-22T11:20:00.000-04:00

(found on MommaCooks)

This makes A LOT of pasta. It’s a great dish if you want to have leftovers for lunch and would also be a great dish to make if you are taking dinner to someone. I have edited the original slightly and added my notes*. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. penne pasta (*1 box of Veggie Delights Penne Pasta)
2 jars pasta sauce
1 cup pepperoni, chopped
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, chopped (*2 small jars or 1 large)
1 cup spinach, chopped and sauteed (I just used 1 big handful)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup basil (I cut this in half form the original recipe)
2-3 cups fresh mozzarella, cubed, divided
1 cup Parmesan, divided
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook pasta until al dente. Heat sauce in a medium saucepan.

Saute spinach in olive oil over medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl combine cooked pasta, pasta sauce, pepperoni, red peppers, spinach, basil, 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Stir well.

Spray a 3-4 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spread pasta mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over pasta.

Bake, uncovered for about 15 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, March 2011

Laura's Chicken and Black Bean Chili (to be served over chips)

2011-07-19T09:49:00.001-04:00

YUMMY!!!! Slow cooker recipe:

Ingredients:
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (with chiles and jalapenos)-
- 1 can plain diced tomatoes
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts
- garlic, minced onion, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can sweet corn
- white or yellow corn tortilla chips
- shredded mexican style cheese
- sour cream (for topping)

Directions:
Pour 1 can of diced tomatoes into slow cooker. Place raw chicken breasts on top and pour second jar of diced tomatoes. Season with garlic, minced onion, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper as you desire. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Shred chicken using 2 forks. Add last can of tomatoes, corn and black beans, do not drain. Let warm in slow cooker until ready to serve. Serve chili over handful of chips. Top with cheese and sour cream.