No-Bake Energy Bites

I saw these on Pinterest and new immediately I would be whipping up a batch. What I didn't know is that it would only take 5 min. and not only that but that they would be SUPER Delish! The kids think they are cookies and everyone else doesn't care what they are. But that doesn't stop them from dropping by and stealing a handful of them out of my fridge. These are the perfect low calorie pick me up little snack, that you can make specific to your tastes.

This recipe is how I like them made.

No Bake Energy Bites

adapted from Smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup quick oats

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or not)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup Wheat Germ

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in a large bowl, then drop onto a lined cookie sheet using a cookie scooper, and chill for about an hour. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge. ( If they last that long!)

Carmelized Onion Sammy's & a whole lot More!

I'd like to start with saying I LOVE Bunco! But every year and a half ,there comes a time when I am in charge. Which stresses me out more than it should, mainly because I take on entirely to much work and make it harder than it really is. This meal would never have been completed had my friends and family not come over in time to help me put it all together.

Because of my recent obsession with Pinterest, I have found all of these amazing things I want to do, see, make and of course EAT! So therein lies my inspiration for this meal.

We have Veggie Cups - which is just julienne sliced veggies (any kind you like). I chose cucumber, carrots, bell peppers & celery. Arrange them in a clear cup with a good portion of ranch dip on the bottom!

Next Meatballs- which could not be simpler and completely delish! I bought a bag of frozen meatballs, dumped them in a crockpot on low with a jar of grape jelly and a jar of chili sauce. Let it cook about 3 hours.

Caprese Salad on a stick- I halved little mozzarella balls stuck a toothpick in them, then folded up a small basil leaf, pushed that on the pick and then stuck them into a halved grape tomato with the flat side down. After that I let them marinate in dish of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt.

Fruit & Dip- For the dip I used vanilla flavored yogurt and nutella.

Carmelized Onion Sandwiches- I found some nice soft sliced sourdough bread/ french bread. Carmelized a ton of onions. Then made some good old fashioned grilled cheese. Buttered the bread, then added Gruyere cheese and Fontina Cheese and the onions. Then grill on both sides till it gets nice and brown and the cheese melts.

I am proud to say that each item was a Hit!

Pork Carnitas

For so long I have been looking for a Pork Carnitas recipe. I decided to check Pinterest and of course found my self a great one! It was also amazingly simple. My mom and hubby thought it was one of the best things they have EVER eaten. I think I quite agree. It came from the For the Love of Cooking blog. Just make sure you put some good mexican cheese and tasty toppings like red onion, guac, cabbage and cilantro.

Pork Carnitas:
Recipe by For the Love of Cooking
Recipe adapted from Noble Pig and Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup milk
• Corn tortillas, warmed
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Red onion, thinly slice
• Guacamole
• Sour cream
• Cotija cheese, grated
• Salsa
• Lime wedges

In a large Dutch oven over high heat, combine pork, garlic, sea salt, pepper, and 8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium low and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Drain well. In the same Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork, 1/2 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 cup milk then cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and pork has browned, about 8 to 12 minutes. The pork will start browning after liquid has evaporated. Season well with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Serve carnitas in corn tortillas with cilantro, red onion, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cotija cheese and fresh lime wedges. Enjoy.

Jello Slices

As soon as I saw these cute things on Pinterest I knew I had to make them. I was worried they might be more than I bargained for but they were actually pretty simple. The kids loved them and had so much fun eating them.

First Hollow out the fruit of your choice.

I used lemons and oranges.

( My kids tried helping me with these but only Jackson my 7 yr. old was capable enough to accomplish the task)

Make your jello.

I used 8 oranges and 8 lemons and used 4 boxes of jello

Make sure they are pushed together enough that they are level when you pour in the jello.

Carefully put it in the fridge. It only took about 3 hours to set up and then I sliced them. Using a small serrated knife.

Chicken roll-ups

I love when I am able to make a meal that cleans out my fridge. I saw a version of these on pinterest . Since I didn't have all the ingredients I just pulled out everything I had that would taste good in something like this and had at it. They actually turned out really good. The little guys would make a great little finger food at your next gathering or a simple lunch for yourself.

Don't be afraid to make this your own and experiment with your own tastes and the items you have on hand!
Chicken roll-ups

Tortillas for rolling

1 12.5 oz can of shredded white meat chicken (kirkland) / or shredded chicken

1 cup of diced tomatoes/ 1 can diced tomatoes

1 bunch of scallions chopped

1 cup shredded cheese

1 tbsp. chipotle in adobo (optional - depending on your heat level)

1/2 of a container of Santa Fe blend cream cheese

Mix all ingredients together. Spread on the tortilla, roll it up without folding in the ends and refrigerate. Then cut into sections and serve.

Baked/Fried Chicken and Waffles

The other day I went to see the movie "The Help". I absolutely loved the book and was stoked when I heard they were making a movie. Well that movie did not disapoint in any way, In some ways I loved it even more than the book ( which never happens). So If you have not seen this movie yet, you must go immediately! After the movie was over I was craving "Southern Fried Chicken" I wanted it to be authentic, but on the other hand, deep frying in some lard, dark meet with skins on was just way too many calories to even think about. So I tried finding a more heart healthy version. I found this great baked fried chicken on Down Home with the Neely's and it was perfect! Crispy, full of flavor, tender, and juicy. I paired it with my new favorite Grits
and some Zucchini waffles ( just some waffle batter with grated zucchini mixed in). Everyone loved it and I can't wait to make it again.



Buttermilk Baked Chicken Tenders

Down Home with the Neely's on food network

• Ingredients

• 2 cups buttermilk
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (3 pound) chicken cut into 8 pieces, rinsed and patted dry/12-15 chicken tenders
• 2 cups crushed corn flakes
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fit a sheet tray with a wire rack and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix together buttermilk, lemon juice, hot sauce, onion, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Add chicken and coat with mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours or up 12 hours.

Mix corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and thyme together. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and dredge through the corn flake-Parmesan mixture, pressing to help it adhere.

Place on the wire rack-fitted sheet tray and bake for 45 minutes until golden and crisp.

Cook's Note: Remove the skin to save calories. Soaking chicken in buttermilk leaves the chicken incredibly moist with a delicious flavor.

Shrimp & Grits & Washington D.C.

My goal in D.C. was to go to as many DDD places that I could. I only made it to 2 but that's ok because I found my new favorite meal. Most of the places we went to there were what some would call Ghetto or Scary. But I think those Dives of a place can sometimes have the BEST food. I found this first place on YELP, Capitol City Diner. It sounded great, and everyone said their Chicken & Waffles were awesome, any place with waffles I can do. When we drove up I could tell most of my family didn't even want to get out of the car, since their may have been a crack house next door. But they followed me blindly believing that I knew what I was talking about. When we got inside it wasn't much better, a small diner car with one cook and no customers. But by the end of the meal everyone was eating their words!





Next up was our first Triple D place. Oohs & Aahs Cafe. This place was in an even scarier neighborhood but so worth it. When we walked up it was this tiny little place with a kitchen downstairs and a couple of table upstairs. The only thing that kept my family from leaving was all the pictures of "famous" people that had eaten there littering the walls.

But they were sooo glad they stayed, this was truly some of the best food I have EVER had. They gave us a sampler platter of all their side dishes to try and they were incredible. The cabbage was to die for, I have truly never had better cabbage, and I WILL find out how to duplicate.

I got the Shrimp & Grits, which one of the items they featured on the show. I was in complete and utter amazement at how absolutely wonderful this meal was. The grits were sweet, smooth, and melt in your mouth good. With spicy shrimp atop of it that went so perfect together. I couldn't have been happier with my meal. I loved it so much I took the leftovers home and ate them for breakfast, and the were still just as good.

I also tried the peach cobbler and for someone who isn't usually a fan, I could have eaten the whole thing!

So if you are ever in D.C and you don't go I will pity you!
Remember awhile back when I recreated the Arepas I saw on Triple D. Well I got a chance to go the restaurant that I first saw it on. But I gotta say I actually liked mine better. Which usually doesn't happen but everyone agreed with me as well. This is actually a good thing, since I can make it anytime I want.
Onto my meal. As soon as I had the Shrimp & Grits in D.C. I knew that I wouldn't not stop until I could recreate them. When I got home I got the recipe from the restaurant off food network and went about acquiring ingredients. You would think that would be easy, but apparently there is not ONE single store in AZ that sells OLD Fashioned grits. My husband told me to just give the quick cooking ones a try and if they didn't work then order online.

I am so glad I listened because they turned out perfect, and just like I remember.

Now if you are not a fan of grits please still try this recipe because these grits unlike any I have ever tried and when I saw the recipe I understood why. One word "Heavy Cream", really it can make any meal better. So please I am begging you to try this meal and you will not be disappointed.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp and Grits

adapted from Food Network

• Ingredients

Grits:

• 1 cup old fashioned grits/ or quick cooking grits
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or freshly minced

Grilled Shrimp:

• 1T chili powder
• Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1T seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1T garlic powder
• 1T onion powder
• 
  
• 3 T butter or olive oil
• 2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Grits: Boil 2 cups of water in medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients in consecutive order while stirring slowly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Slowly stir in the grits. Allow to simmer, stirring every 5 minutes until reaching the desired consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the grits to a serving bowl and keep warm.

Shrimp: Mix all of the dry ingredients thoroughly in bowl until well blended. Melt the butter or olive oil in a large grill pan over high heat. Generously coat the shrimp in the seasoning mixture. Add them to the grill pan and cook until caramelized on both sides. Remove them from the pan to a serving bowl and serve with the grits.

Suggestion: Adding cheese and/or gravy with fried onions, to taste, will elevate the dish considerably

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