Orange-Sauced Chicken Recipe from Cooking Light!

My adaptation of Cooking Light’s Orange-Sauced Chicken

I love running across a tasty recipe, especially one that is quick to make and healthy as well. This one appealed to me because it’s something different to do with chicken. A different taste – chicken can get tedious if you let it. Don’t!

Normally I prefer to post an image of the finished product and then the recipe, but Facebook usually chooses image #2 to post, so… that would explain the backwards way I post recipes…

Continue reading “Orange-Sauced Chicken Recipe from Cooking Light!”

Grandma’s Ham & Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots…

This is a comforting recipe that is especially good when the weather is chilly. My “recipes” are more like guides – add more of what you like and less of what you don’t. That’s how you come up with the very best results!  Continue reading “Grandma’s Ham & Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots…”

Snowed in? Clementine’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies a Ghirardelli recipe!

Clementine’s Cookies

What do you do when you’re snowed in? Temps are low and you live in a tropical state that isn’t accustomed to getting below freezing temps coupled with inches of snow (5″!!) – well… you go through your recipes and see what you can make with what you’ve got. As luck would have it, I found this recipe in my file that I last made a million years ago, I noted that it was EXCELLENT. I don’t say that too often.

Continue reading “Snowed in? Clementine’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies a Ghirardelli recipe!”

Overnight Oats – endless possibilities!

Overnight Oats – I bet you’ve heard of them, they’re all the rage right now. There are an infinite number of variations – this is just one. I used frozen (thawed) mixed berries from Whole Foods – and WOW! This was like a berries and cream dessert with a little texture from the oats. Loved it! How nice to have breakfast with minimal effort! This time of year with the temptations of unhealthy eating and snacks galore it’s nice to take time to eat healthy in between outings – this is a quick and easy way to do just that!

I read an article about how to make a better batch of overnight oats – a good article from Bon Appetit (a beautiful magazine with fabulous recipes!!

I basically used the Wholefully Classic Overnight Oats (click HERE to view, print or save to Pinterest).

Next time I will add more milk just to see the difference – it was delicious!! I used Chia seeds, regular 2% milk and a quick dash of honey (not much at all). It was perfection! Fred and I split this and it was plenty for us.

Classic Overnight Oats

(Wholefully.com) – 1 large or 2 small servings

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 heaping cup of rolled oats (I used Old Fashioned)
2/3 cup milk (regular milk, almond, soy, etc. whatever you like)
1 tablespoon of chia seeds (or ground flax meal)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Less than 1 tablespoon honey
Whisk the above ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Spoon into a jar with a tight-fitting lid (open mouth jars are idea – I think I used a pickle jar and it worked).
Closed and refrigerate 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
When you go to eat the oats, I put them in a bowl and added a splash of milk and more berries.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Delightfully Baked Apples – this is a quick and easy recipe – Apple pie without the crust!

Ready to pop into the oven!

I swear this is apple pie without the crust! I was craving an apple pie – but… make an apple pie, eat an apple pie. Probably not too good for the physique! So I scoured the Internet for recipes that were fairly healthy and this one fit the bill perfectly!

This recipe is by SkinnyTaste.com a great resource for recipes. This recipe comes together quickly, bakes for about 30 minutes (and makes your house smell amazing!) – We serve with a small scoop of ice cream. Really one half of a baked apple is plenty.

Click HERE to print the recipe from the Skinnytaste.com website:

Fresh out of the oven!

Delightfully Baked Apples

INGREDIENTS:

2 large apples (use whatever you’ve got), cut them in half, remove the core/seeds

2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

2 tablespoons brown sugar, Unpacked (can use less)

2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour (can use GLUTEN FREE)

4 tablespoons oats (recipe calls for quick oats, I only had Old Fashioned and they worked fine)

Cinnamon, just a dab (add more if you like, I did)

DIRECTIONS:

Oven to 350℉.

Cut apples in half, remove seeds and core

In a small bowl combing the butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon – then spread the mixture on top of the apple halves (I spread with my fingers right to the edges) – sprinkle with more cinnamon if you like.

Place on a cookie sheet (I covered mine in foil for a no-cleanup option) – bake for 30 minutes.

Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream if you like!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

The BEST and Most Beautiful Christmas Cookies Ever!

These cookies have been a holiday tradition as long as I can remember. We had such fun making these. My mom and dad did all the hard work, we got to decorate – we had to decorate each one individually. Take your time, make it nice, don’t do it quickly (or heap a pile of frosting on top just so you can eat it, hee). Same with the tinsel, remember tinsel? One strand at a time! I think tinsel started out fun and then tested my patience, ha ha…

Click HERE to print the recipe as shown above!

From what I remember we had a reindeer, a Santa, a snowman and a Christmas tree cookie cutters. If you don’t have a cookie cutter use a glass and decorate them like ornaments! Right now I only have a Christmas tree cookie cutter, it’s my favorite and I haven’t seen another that I like as much (that won’t burn edges, etc) There are so many ways to decorate them! You can limit your colors, like I did, or have a plethora of colors and make them REALLY different!

Let the artistic side in you come out, make that wonderful “Grinch”  green, mix your yellow/blue food coloring to achieve the different colors!

This recipe makes quite a few, but they are so good they are in danger of becoming extinct rather quickly!

Merry Christmas!  🎄 Catch you back here tomorrow!

Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Bowl with Dried Cranberries, Walnuts and Bleu Cheese

I came up with this “recipe” after I had roasted a lot of veggies for the week. We had them as sides, and I was trying to think of something different to do with them. This was amazing. One note: Bleu cheese goes a long way, so remember, you can always add more! The caramelized taste of the roasted veggies, with the addition of the kale, chewy dried fruit and crunchy walnuts were an amazing combination!

Many of my “recipes” aren’t really recipes, they’re more of a guideline – Feel free to experiment with different ingredients or vary from what I have written. This recipe is also something that can be made (mostly) ahead, then heat and assemble the bowls.

This recipe includes roasted veggies (click HERE for a great guide on roasting veggies), cooked quinoa (Trader Joe’s frozen packet that you microwave is amazing – perfect for 2 with a little left over)! I also sauté  the kale, I wash it, dry it,  and add to a non-stick pan with a wee bit of olive oil, cover the pan and add a wee bit of water to help it steam – keep taste testing, once it’s at the consistency that you like, turn the burner off and transfer to a bowl. Chop the dried fruit, nuts. Once you have everything ready it’s time to add to a bowl. Add quinoa, roasted veg, cranberries or cherries, nuts, a wee bit of bleu cheese – this is remarkably good AND good for you!

Click HERE to print the recipe as shown below… I can’t wait for you to try it!

Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Bowl

Quick & Healthy Recipe  – Serves 2 people

Ingredients

●  Roasted Vegetables (see note*)

●  Kale, chopped and sautéed

●  Blue Cheese, crumbled

●  Quinoa, cooked (see note**)

●  Walnuts, chopped

●  Dried Cranberries or Cherries, chopped

1. Roast vegetables: I used onion, carrots, parsnips, turnips and sweet potato – change it up so it doesn’t get boring!

2. Saute the kale by adding washed/dried kale to a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil. After a few minutes cover the pan and add a little liquid (chicken broth or water is fine) – keep taste testing until it’s to a consistency you like.

3. Cook the quinoa. You can make it according to package directions or buy frozen that you zap in the microwave..

4. Chop walnuts, and dried fruit.

5. Plate – Add quinoa to individual bowls, top with vegetables, dried fruit, walnuts and bleu cheese.

Tips

*Roasted vegetables: see link below for tips on how to roast veggies. I basically cut into pieces (the smaller the pieces the quicker they cook), add a little olive oil, S&P in a 400F oven about 30 minutes (depending upon size).

**Quinoa: Trader Joe’s (or similar) frozen cooked quinoa is a real time saver, and perfect if there are just one or two of you!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

 

 

The Secret of Staying Young…

Normally I write my posts ahead of time and schedule them to publish. It’s the only way that I can keep up with a daily blog (next month starts year 8!!!!) – so each morning I’m as surprised as you are as to what my post is about. Well, this morning it really was a surprise since there wasn’t one! Oops!

We had lunch a few times this weekend at a wonderful place that we haven’t been to in years. I’m so glad we did. The food was SO good (which is why we went back the next day). I love that they have half portions. Good people, close by, and really good food! If you’re in the Charleston, SC area, be sure to check them out:

Five Loaves Cafe – here is their MENU, take a peek – daily specials as well!

Happy Sunday! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Greek Salad with White Beans and Pita

Greek Salad with Cannellini Beans and Pita

Just in the nick of time! After Thanksgiving and maybe being a little overly thankful for all the delicious food – it’s time to take a food holiday – a break… and this recipe puts you back in sync – no meat, tastes great – leaves you feeling like you haven’t stuffed yourself and you still aren’t looking for anything to eat at night – it’s that satisfying.

This is another fabulous recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, what would I do without them? Their recipes are always out of this world good without tasting too healthy! This recipe replaces meat with cannellini beans, it’s tasty and it keeps you full!

Click HERE to print the original recipe from Cooking Light magazine!

What I did differently (for 2 dinner size servings):

I didn’t use red bell pepper. When I mixed up the vinaigrette instead of using garlic powder I took a fresh piece of garlic and made a cut and rubbed it in the small bowl – this gave enough garlic flavor. The only other thing I didn’t do is grill the pita – I don’t have a grill pan, and the first time I made this I heated with a little olive oil in a regular skillet and it really didn’t need all that. Just a quick heat (microwave or in a dry pan for just a minute) worked fine – we used Whole Wheat Pita’s from Trader Joe’s, they have excellent taste.

If you like salad, give this recipe a try, it’s a keeper! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Original recipe via Cooking Light Magazine – Recipe by Adam Dolge

Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice – a FAVORITE!

What a fabulous recipe! I’ve heard about “riced” cauliflower – wasn’t sure how it would taste. Let me tell you… wonderful!! It has a similar look and feel as rice – the taste… very mild. So it goes nicely with what you pair with it. In this case a stir fry with shrimp, green onions and eggs.

What I did differently: To make it a little more substantial for us, and because we like stir fry with peas and carrots I added those as well. I think maybe I let the cauliflower sit 5 minutes as mentioned above (without stirring) and then added the thawed carrots and peas (however many you like – I used two big handfuls). I also cooked the eggs in a separate small skillet. The first time I made this the egg stuck to the bottom of the “nonstick” pan, therefore the cauliflower rice couldn’t get brown. When you scramble the eggs don’t overcook as they are going back in with the shrimp and “rice” for a minute!

You can make “riced” cauliflower by putting it into a food processor and pulsing until it looks like rice, or you can buy it frozen just about everywhere – I used Trader Joe’s brand and it’s fabulous, perfect for two people!

Click HERE to print the recipe above (my version) the link to print the original Cooking Light version is no longer available…!

I added a bit to this Cooking Light (link now goes to Eating Well) recipe via their magazine – I always find treasures there! The inspiration came from the magazine.

I miss Cooking Light and Eating Well (print magazines)…

Links updated 2/5/25

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Pork Medallions with Fennel Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw – recipe by Cooking Light!

Pork Medallions with Fennel, Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw is a fabulous (and dare I say beautiful) recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. It’s the perfect recipe for fall. I thought the Fennel, Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw (pictured above) was just beautiful alongside the pork medallions! (In my haste I forgot to garnish with fennel fronds, so mine may look a bit bare, but believe me, it’s FULL of taste!).

I always thought I didn’t care for fennel (never having had it) because I heard it tastes like licorice. Let me say. I love it! It does taste a bit like licorice, but it’s different, and the texture is wonderful (similar to celery), especially combined with apples – what a treat! The slices of baked sweet potato add such color to this dish!

Click HERE to print this recipe (via the Cooking Light website – click on the green printer icon) – it’s a keeper for sure! QUICK to put together as well – the recipe shows a total of 35 minutes to put this together.

I made a few changes for the slaw: I only used one (1/2#) pork tenderloin, since there are just two of us. I used 1 medium fennel bulb, 1 large apple, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon shallots for the slaw –

And a few changes for the pork:  I didn’t have grainy mustard (for the pork) so I used a total of 3 tablespoons of dijon – I also used the full 1/2 cup of cider and omitted the butter (initially by mistake – but it was so fabulous I decided not to add the next time I made it).

EXCELLENT recipe!

This recipe is via CookingLight magazine (CookingLight.com) – I made some changes as we all do, but the recipe comes from Cooking Light – my all time favorite magazine for healthy recipes!

Catch you back here tomorrow!