Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken

The other night I was wanting something different than the basic baked chicken and I'm glad I decided on this chicken. The lemon and brown sugar created a nice sweet/tangy sauce and it was AMAZING! It reminded me a little of sweet and sour chicken. It was gone quickly and my whole family loved it. We will definitely be making it again!

Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken
Recipe from Espresso and Cream

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Juice of one large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Using a meat mallet pound the chicken breasts thin. Set aside.

Combine the flour, paprika and salt in a large shallow bowl and stir to combine. Dip the chicken breasts into the flour mixture to evenly coat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts, cooking two minutes per side. You are just browning the outsides, not cooking completely through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Pour the lemon juice into the pan and stir to de-glaze the pan. Put chicken breast in a casserole dish and pour lemon juice mixture on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and lemon zest. Bake for 30 minutes or until temperature reaches 165°F.

Spicy Chili with Cornbread Waffles

This was a fun take on chili and cornbread! Instead of traditional cornbread on the side the chili is served on top of a cornbread waffle. It was yummy! The chili was a tad spicy (I cut the chili powder in half) so keep that in mind. My kids ate it fine and didn't complain about it being spicy and I have a low tolerence for heat but I thought I should mention that in case you don't do spicy food! :)

Enjoy!

Cornbread Waffles with Spicy Chili
Recipe from Paula Deen

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cup milk
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Spicy Chili, recipe follows
shredded cheddar, for garnish
sour cream, for garnish
chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Spicy Chili:
1 pound lean ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans ranch-style beans
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can niblet corn, drained
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add milk, oil, and eggs; stirring until smooth. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron and bake in batches. Set aside and keep warm.
Serve with Spicy Chili. Garnish with shredded Cheddar, sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro.

Spicy Chili: In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown ground chuck, until beef is crumbly. Stir in onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, corn, diced tomatoes, and green chiles. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Lemon Lemon Loaf

Last week I was craving lemon and this bread hit the spot. I divided the batter in half and left one half plain and added poppy seeds to the other half. Both loaves were gone in a matter of days. Definitely a great lemon bread!

Lemon Lemon Loaf
Recipe from BAKED

Loaves1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Lemon Syrup
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

Lemon Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray two 9x5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the cakes: In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until well combined. With the machine running, slowly pour the butter through the feed tube until incorporated. Add the sour cream and vanilla and pulse until combined. Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, folding gently to incorporate after each addition. Mix only until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans and reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. Continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the loaves cool for 15 minutes.

To make the lemon syrup: While the loaves are cooling, combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, then continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Turn the loaves out of the pans and set on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Using a toothpick, poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves. Brush the loaves all over with the lemon syrup. Let it soak in, then brush again until you've used all of the syrup. Cool the loaves completely. (You can wrap the loaves and freeze them (for up to 6 weeks) at this point.)

To make the lemon glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl, until smooth and pourable. Pour the glaze over the top of each loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes before serving.

Store the loaves at room temperature wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

There are many mornings when my husband has to be out the door by 5am and he needs a good breakfast before running out the door. These burritos are perfect because they are full of protien, delicious, and are ready after 2 minutes in the microwave. We love these burritos! The recipe makes 24 good sized burritos and they hang out in the freezer until we need them. It doesn't get easier than that!

Enjoy!

Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Recipe from Mom On Timeout

 lb breakfast sausage
1 lb bacon
1 cup chopped ham
2 pound of red potatoes, cubed into bite size pieces
16 oz cheese (any kind you like)
24 flour tortillas
12 eggs, extra large
1/2 c milk
1/3 c olive oil
1 tsp each: Emeril's Seasoning, Seasoning Salt or any seasoning you prefer
salt and pepper

Meats:

1. Cook bacon and crumble.
2. Brown the sausage.
3. Fry up the ham. 

Roasted Red Potatoes:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Dry cubed potatoes with a towel to eliminate any extra water.
3. Toss the potatoes with 1/3 c olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Use additional seasoning (such as Emeril's or Seasoning Salt) if desired.
4. Roast for 30 minutes until golden brown. Start checking at 20 minutes.


Scramble eggs and assemble burritos. Roll up tightly and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Freeze.

Once frozen, wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a ziploc bag.

To cook, remove plastic wrap, wrap in paper towel, and microwave for 2 1/2-3 minutes.

Lemon Crinkles

The other day I was craving lemon and was planning on making these Lemon Sugar Cookies that I love. But then I saw this recipe on Pinterest and since I have a problem with turning down new recipes I decided to not make my favorite lemon cookies and try something new.

Boy am I glad I did! With the first bite I thought they were delicious but there wasn't anything super amazing about them. But by the time I realized I was on my 3rd cookie (they were small, okay? hahaha) I had decided they must be fantastic! They are addictive, easy to make, lemony delicious, and so good! I can't decide if I prefer them over my other lemon cookies so maybe soon I'll have to do a bake-off between them. :)

Lemon Crinkles
Recipe from LDS Living

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Double Chocolate Brownies

Brownies and chocolate chip cookies are two desserts that I will always try a new recipe for even though  I have tried and true recipes that I use regularly. There is just something about CCCs and brownies... usually there isn't a bad one in the bunch!

These brownies are AMAZING! So chocolately and gooey and fudgy. Eat them warm, room temperature, or cold. Either way they are fantastic!

Double Chocolate Brownies
Recipe from Buns in my Oven

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.

Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked. Cool on a wire rack.

Apple Cream Cheese Bread

I mixed up this bread this morning so that the kids could have it for afternoon snack today. It was SO delicious and the kids ate it up! I added oats to the top for a little texture and loved the addition.

Apple Cream Cheese Bread
Recipe from My Retro Kitchen

2 apples
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg

6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grate the apples (skin and all) into a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, cup of sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix well to combine. Without mixing, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet, and pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar and egg with a fork. Pour over the top of the batter, and use a knife to swirl the two layers together.

Bake loosely covered with foil for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake an additional 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool fully before slicing. 

Five Chip Scones

Today was the first day back to school for my daughter so I let her pick what she wanted for a special breakfast. Usually she picks either beignets or scones (what can I say, she is TOTALLY my kid!). Last night she told me she wanted scones. I wanted something new so I decided to create my own scone recipe.

Earlier in the week I made these 5 chip cookies to send to my best friend. It is one of my favorite cookie recipes and I thought it would make a great scone. So I took all my favorite things from the cookie (the oats and five different chips) and turned it into a delicious scone.

They were FANTASTIC and a new family favorite. I know I sent my baby girl off to school with full belly and a smile on her face!

Five Chip Scones

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
11 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix flour, pats, baking powder, salt, sugar and brown sugar, until well incoporated. Cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix into the flour mixture. Mix in chips. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and mix to form a dough.

Cut dough in two and shape into 2 rounds, 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Seperate slightly to help cook. Cook for 15 - 17 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through in the middle.

Taco Mac

Okay, so I'm a little embarrassed to admit just how much I liked this meal. Let's be honest, there is nothing fancy about it (not that all food has to be fancy!). It really is a "take what I had in the pantry/fridge and create something edible" kind of meal. What I thought would just be "edible" turned out to be so amazing. I ate way too much of it and don't regret it at all. Man, this was good and super easy, too. Guess you can't ask for more from a meal!

Taco Mac

16 oz medium shell pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can ( 4 oz) diced green chilies
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Sour Cream

Boil pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and green chilies. Mix in cheddar and cream cheese; heat until melted. Stir in noodles.

Top with sour cream if desired.