June Supper Club: Appetizers!

Two years ago my girlfriends and I started a Book Club. After a few months of realizing no one was reading the books and we all just wanted to drink wine, we decided to switch gears and start a Supper Club! We meet once a month at someone's house and each girl brings something to contribute. Appetizers was the theme for June and I'm so glad that's what we decided on! I made a cheese plate and prosciutto wrapped asparagus! Other apps included: BBQ sliders, Caprese Skewers, Mac N Cheese, Quesadillas,  Southwestern Egg Rolls, Fruit Pizza, Cheddar Cheese Ball and Sausage "Crack" Dip!

You will need:

One bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed

About 20 thin slices of prosciutto

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Wrap each stalk with prosciutto. In this case, I did two asparagus per prosciutto. Place seam side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, the turn the oven up to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheese platter!

Technically not "girls only" anymore!

Brie with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Thyme Appetizer

I needed a quick appetizer for Joe's mother's birthday this week. I had 30 minutes to throw it other. I wanted something hot since the weather has been so deary this week.

You will need:

Two 8oz wheels of brie

1 jar of diced sun-dried tomatoes, drained

handful of Thyme

2 cloves of garlic

Trim off all the rind from the brie and cut into small cubes. In a small bowl, mix together sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and thyme. Layer the brie and tomato mix in a small ramekin or baking dish. Bake for 20 min on 350, stirring occasionally. Top with a few more sprinkles of thyme. Serve with french bread or crackers!

**It did turn out a little greasy, as you can see, so I blotted with a paper towel before serving to make it look prettier


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Baked Brie

I have made this three times in the last week for different holiday events. SO easy and SO good.

You will need:

One tube of reduced fat crescent roll dough

One small wheel of brie

Jelly or preserves of your choice

A handful of slivered almonds

A sprinkle of brown sugar

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 325. Lay out the parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet with sides. Carefully unfold the crescent roll dough and secure the seams so that it makes one big square. Spoon a few spoonfuls of your jelly or preserves (I used strawberry) onto the center of the dough. Top with almonds and sprinkle with brown sugar.   Cut the outside rind off of the brie and place the remaining wheel on top of the jelly and nuts. Carefully wrap the dough around the cheese and flip it over so the seams are now on the bottom.  Bake on the parchment paper for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with apple slices or crackers.

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Easy Lasagna

This was kind of a last minute craving. The recipe was easy and it tasted delish!

You will need:

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground sausage

1 box of "No Boil" lasagna noodles

1 small container of ricotta

1 large bag of mozzarella

1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained

Preheat oven to 400. Brown the beef and sausage. Drain and add jar of tomato sauce and canned tomatoes to the pan. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Spoon the meat and sauce mixture into a greased casserole dish. Top with a layer of uncooked noodles and then a layer of the cheese mixture. Continue this process until you run out of room! Top with more cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender. 

**Next time I will add more sauce. Enjoy!

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EASY Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Previously, I made Turkey and Bean Enchilada Casserole, but this time I decided to make the real deal. I bought some red enchilada sauce at Trader Joe's and wanted to put it to use. These were SO easy and somewhat healthy.

You will need:

One bottle of Trader Joe's Enchilada Sauce

8 whole wheat tortillas

1 small can of diced green chili peppers

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Mexican Cheese

One rotisserie chicken, shredded 

Combine chicken, beans, chilies, half the enchilada sauce and a handful of cheese in a large bowl. Mix until consistent. Fill each tortilla with the mixture and roll it up like a burrito. Place seam side down in the large, greased baking pan. Continue with the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce and cheese. Bake covered for 30 minutes on 350. Then uncover and bake for an addition 10 minutes.

**Serve with Spanish rice and enjoy!


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Summer Bucket List: Make Pimento Cheese from Scratch

Amazing and healthier! I made this version with Greek Yogurt. It tasted almost the same as the kind I buy at the store!

What you need:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 dollop of Mayo

4 oz diced Pimentos with juices

4 cups shredded cheddar and Colby jack mix

A few sprinkles of Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper, for taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add more cheese if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy with your favorite chips!

Fab Four

1. This Lobster dress by J. Crew is too cute!

2. We always have a supply of Palmetto Jalapeno Pimento Cheese in our fridge. I can't wait to make my own!

3. "Lapiz of Luxury" by Essie is the great summer color.

4. Quick morning yoga routine to help start the day.

Turkey and Bean Enchilada Casserole

Ground turkey is the best substitute for lean ground beef. We have been using it for everything! You can get the health equivalent by simply purchasing extremely lean ground beef, but I think the turkey is a little bit cheaper, and tastes just the same!  For a delicious dinner a we made Enchilada Casserole. It's protein packed and super easy to make.

You will need:
1 lb ground beef
1 can pinto beans, drained
Shredded Mexican Cheese
about 6 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons of flour
Garlic powder
1 small tub of Sour cream
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can green chilies
Taco seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Brown the turkey and drain. Mix in your desired amount of taco seasoning, beans, and green chili peppers. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream, flour and garlic powder. Place a few corn tortillas in one layer on the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Top with the meat and bean mixture, and then spread sour cream. Repeat layers again starting with the corn tortillas. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese, bake for an additional 10 minutes of until cheese is melted.

**Serve with Saffron rice. Tastes just as soon left over!!

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Quinoa

MORE QUINOA?! Can you believe it? The possibilities with this super grain are endless.  Did you know one serving has eight grams of protein and five grams of fiber. Amazing! Since Mac and Cheese is my all time favorite food, I decided to try to make Mac and Cheese Quinoa. I wanted to mix in some veggies and chicken to make a "casserole" of out if.  My mistake here was I mixed cheddar cheese with Italian style cheese, since I did not have enough cheddar. I highly recommend using all cheddar when you make this.

You will need:

One cup quinoa, uncooked

10 oz of chopped broccoli

one chicken breast, cooked and cubed

minced garlic

Cheddar cheese

2 eggs

one cup of milk

Panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the quinoa as directed (one part quinoa, two parts water, or chicken broth). Once cooked, add two cups of cheddar, two eggs, garlic, and one cup of milk into the mixture. Stir until the cheese is melted. Add in the mixings. I decided on broccoli and chicken, but you can really use whatever your heart desires. Pour into a greased casserole dish and top with another layer of cheese and panko bread crumbs. Bake for 20 -30 minutes. 

**I ate this by itself as a meal for dinner. We used the left overs the next day as a side with grilled chicken, and then even more left overs the following day paired with london broil. 

Apple and Brie Tarts

Brie is one of my favorite cheeses. I love to melt it on a whole wheat english muffin with some grape jelly for a snack or for breakfast. Since I purchased a Costco size wheel of Brie, I needed to think of some creative recipes and fast. Here's what we had for dessert last night, although it would have been an excellent breakfast as well. (I accidentally purchase pie crust instead of pastry dough. Use crescent roll dough)

You will need:

One package of crescent roll dough

one green apple, sliced

a few thick slices of brie, with the rind on

cinnamon

brown sugar

egg whites

butter

Divide the dough into fourth and cut into four squares.  Place a slice of brie on each square and top with a few apple slices. Sprinkle your desired amount of cinnamon and brown sugar on top and place a small pad of butter to top it off. Brush each corner with egg whites and fold the dough into an "envelope" around the cheese and apples. Brush the top with more egg whites. Bake for 20 minutes on 400.

**Joe was so mad I did not have an ice cream to go with this as a dessert. It tastes like apple pie!

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I saw this recipe on Skinny Taste and just had to try it out! It looked like a fun thing to cook and I loved how healthy they are. One serving, or one half of each stuffed pepper, is 185 Calories and contains 20 grams of protein. I used Brown Rice instead of white, and I also added some crushed red pepper. I omitted the onion because I don't care for those crunchy devils. To make my life easier I made the brown rice on my lunch break. 

You will need:

1 lb of ground turkey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 onion, minced

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin powder

salt to taste

3 large red bell peppers

1 cup fat free chicken broth

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

nonstick cooking spray

reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a medium sauce pan with Pam and turn onto medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and cilantro. Sauté for two minutes and then add the ground turkey. Season with salt, garlic powder and cumin power, and cook until meat is browned. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes and then stir in the rice.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove stems and seeds. Spoon the meat and rice mixture into the peppers and place in a baking or casserole dish. Pour the other 1/2 of the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with tinfoil and cook for 35 minutes. Uncover and top with cheddar cheese. Enjoy!!

**Next time I will add black beans to the meat and rice mixture. Canned corn could also be a yummy option. 

SORRY! I have to apologize for not having step by step pictures for my recipes on my blog. I get so caught up in cooking that I forget to take snapshots!!