Strawberry Upside Down Cake

I am a follower of the blog "Leca, Unplugged". Last week, she had a guest blogger from "Smashed Peas and Carrots", another awesome blog. Her timing couldn't be more perfect. Her Strawberry Upside Down Cake post was published the same week that we went strawberry picking. Peyton wanted to make it.

Here's the link:
http://lecaunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/06/blog-swap.html

The fun thing about this post was that she took pictures of each step, which made it really easy for a 6 year old to "read along". Peyton was able to make the entire recipe with very little help. It was a great bonding time in the kitchen. We took the cake along to family movie night at church. Everyone LOVED it. Thanks Aleca & Maggie!

Chicken Pesto (or shrimp) with Asparagus

The original recipe calls for shrimp, but the hubby doesn't like shrimp. So, we've changed it to chicken and it is still super duper yummy, although the lemon juice in the sauce probably compliments the shrimp nicely.

8 oz spaghetti noodles (cooked, rinsed, and drained)
1 c loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 c lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
3 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb chicken breast cut into pieces (or shrimp)
one bunch of asparagus

Place basil, lemon juice, garlic, 1 Tbls oil and salt in food processor. This is your sauce. SOOOOO easy, right?

Meanwhile, brown your chicken & saute your asparagus in the remaining oil.

Toss chicken, asparagus, & spaghetti with sauce. Sprinkle some Italian blend cheese on top and voila!

Mexicali Chicken

Originally, this recipe is supposed to be eaten as is...however, I served it as a filling for tortillas with shredded cheddar cheese. I really like it. It is not spicy, so if you are looking for something with a little kick, you'll have to made additions.

cooking spray
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 (14 oz) Mexican style stewed tomatoes (I used stewed tomatoes w/green chilies...is that the same thing???)
1 1/2 c water
1 c rice (I used instant)
4 tsp instant chicken bouillon or 4 cubes

Cook chicken over medium-high heat in cooking spray 5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Eat as is OR serve on tortillas w/shredded cheese like we did.

Dutch Pancake w/ Buttery Apples

Oh man! This is soooooo good. I think I've found my new favorite breakfast food. Believe it or not, I got this out of a Sesame Street cook book called "C is for Cooking". I changed it up a bit and it is YUMMY!

2 eggs
1 tsp oil
1/2 milk
1/2 c flour
2 tbls sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbls butter
2 large apples, peeled and sliced
brown sugar
powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9 inch cake pan.

Crack eggs into a medium bowl. Beat eggs together with oil and milk until smooth.

Add flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the greased dish.

Bake the pancake for 10 minutes. Reduce teh heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the pancake is very puffy and lightly browned all over, about 5 to 8 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the apples. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon & brown sugar (about 1/4 c). Saute, stirring often, until the apples are tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Wait until pancake shrinks down, and pour apples over the top. Dust with powdered sugar if you like (we didn't).

Slice and serve.

And the winner is...

And the winner of my 50 post giveaway is "Tom". I gave each entry a number and used www.random.com to pick a random number for me.

Thanks for all your comments and encouragement. Once I post 100 recipes, I'll try another giveaway.

Nicole

Hot Taco Dip (not spicy)

My bridal shower was a "recipe shower". Everyone was supposed to bring a favorite recipe and an ingredient/kitchen item used to prepare it. My sister sent this recipe along with a pizza pan. It is soooo good. This is another recipe that whenever I make it, someone asks for it. Oh, and by "hot", I don't mean spicy. It is baked in the oven, so "hot" refers to temperature.

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
8 oz sour cream
8 oz bottle green taco sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

Brown beef w/some salt, pepper, garlic salt, and onion (if desired). Drain. Add taco seasoning and beans.

Spread onto greased pizza pan.

Mix sour cream w/taco sauce. Spread over meat mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

Grilled Pork Chops w/ Parsley Buttered Potatoes

Was making my menu/grocery list for the week and came across this recipe. Just a few ingredients, but they were really good.

1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
4 bone in pork loin chops (we actually used boneless)

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Pour marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork chops; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

If grilling the chops, coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat OR broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.

I served with corn on the cob and parsley buttered potatoes.

For the potatoes:

1 small bag baby red potatoes
1 stick butter
fresh parsley (about a handful chopped)
1 chicken bouillon cube or granule equivalent
1/2 c water

boil pot of water & add potatoes
meanwhile, in another pan, melt butter with water, parsley, & bouillon
boil until slightly soft
remove & quarter
add to butter sauce, cover & simmer until potatoes are completely done