Chicken Enchiladas

The holidays are a time to spend with family which is exactly what I am doing.  Like most families around the holidays, many things revolve around great food.  For my family, when you think of the usual Christmas cuisine, enchiladas are not the first food to come to mind.  However, since we have a few days until Christmas, I thought I would try a new recipe I stumbled on. I knew it was a hit when my brother said “this is great!” as he was shoveling another bite into his mouth and then again the next morning when the fam was warming them up to eat for breakfast.  Don’t be afraid of the onions and green chilies...the enchiladas still are pretty mild.  Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

Two weekends ago I was combing through my favorite food magazines and websites trying to find something I could enter into the Quaker Holiday Bite-Sized Bake-Off and was coming up empty.  You have to strike a fine balance between something mainstream that everyone will like, but not too mainstream that it’s just blends in with the other entries.  I had a few options but not one that I thought could have a real chance at winning, when out of the blue my inbox pinged.  My best friend Tamara tried a fun treat a co-worker brought into work and thought it would be a great one to add to the blog.  Little did she know I was looking for a bite-sized holiday treat for the contest.  I saw it as a sign!!  I am proud to say that I won Best Overall in the contest…THANKS Tam…and thought I would share this awesome and easy recipe.  There is no baking involved, so if you are not a cook, this recipe is for you (fast direction: smash, mix, ball, freeze, dip, freeze).

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Mousse Pie

Tis the season of holiday gatherings filled with reminiscing of the past year, well wishing for the year to come, good food, and of course a little drinking.  Last night the city of Chicago was buzzing with holiday cheer which made navigating out of the city a little challenging as we made our way to Naperville to our previous fearless leader’s house for our holiday party “Quaker Shopper Team Style.”  We all brought some appetizers and desserts to share which turned into a little bit of a contest – each person slyly pushing there dish (my favorite one, outside of my own, were Mary’s pumpkin and cream cheese frosting whoopie pies).  I joined in the fun and decided to make this peanut butter & chocolate mousse pie.  It is a recipe I stumbled across a few years back when I lived in Cincinnati.  Nielsen was having a pie contest, so I searched through pie recipes looking for something that plays to the taste buds of the masses…who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate together?!?!  I ended up winning the Nielsen pie contest and have been making this recipe ever since.  I thought it would be a great recipe to share as it is a great option to make for a holiday party.

Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Potpie

This past weekend I headed to Knoxville, TN for research which turned out to be pretty cool despite the fact I was working over the weekend.  Since I work for a company that primarily targets and talks to Mom’s with Kids of certain ages, who are the primary grocery shopper of their family, usually qualitative research is talking with them.  However, this weekend was different!  We talked with blue collar men and truckers.  They were some of the most intriguing, funny, down to earth guys that had so much pride in what they did for a living.  Being a girl that grew up in Atlanta in a Country Club, went to a private Catholic High School, attended Miami University and now live in Chicago (man, I sound really spoiled) you would think that I would not be able to relate at all (and in some areas I couldn't), but at the end of the day, we are people that work hard to accomplish our goals. 

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

Are you sick of eating Thanksgiving leftovers YET AGAIN for dinner?  Is your extended family looking at you wondering what’s for dinner? Are you still tuckered out from cooking the Super Bowl of all meals days after the big event?  Well, here is a fantastic recipe that is SUPER quick (25 minutes max prep & cook time).  Last week I stumbled across it just after I got home from traveling/eating out for a week.  I was exhausted from being on the road and I was craving a home cooked meal (I have no clue how Ann, my sister, and Matt, her boyfriend, travel full time). 

Cranberry Relish

Each year when cleaning up after Thanksgiving dinner, I always seem to notice the cranberry side dish usually isn't touched much.  Does this sound familiar?  Well, Susan Crawford, one of my dearest friends, passed along a recipe that her family SWEARS by.  I haven’t posted any recipes that I haven’t tried myself, but since she is a close friend (and lover of cooking), I trust her judgment and taste buds.  Below is a fun recipe to try if you are looking for a new cranberry recipe!

Cornbread Pudding

A few weeks ago Quaker (where I work) had their annual Chili-Mac-Cornbread cook-off.  Unfortunately this is the second year I haven’t been able to participate.  I had originally entered this year, but it was being held the Friday I was heading out of town for Tamara’s Baby shower, and didn't have enough hands to carry everything while navigating to work on public transportation.   All I kept seeing was me losing my balance on the bus and the pan of cornbread pudding being flung all over innocent bystanders.  Thus I accepted my role as taster/judger, which isn't a bad gig!  There were so many amazing entries (even a chili that tasted like buffalo chicken dip – won most creative chili and I am trying to get my hands on the recipe).  The one I am sharing with you today will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu.  It was made by my co-worker, Katie Ciepierski and she passed along her recipe to share.  I have seen many variations of this recipe online.  If you want it creamier, decrease the amount of Jiffy corn bread mix and increase the amount of corn to your liking!

Chicken Tetrazzini

Last weekend was a very special weekend…it was my best friend, Tamara’s, baby shower.  She is the first out of our group of friends to have a baby so it has been a fun 8-ish months watching her belly grow.  Thankfully she doesn’t mind friends constantly touching her belly, which I do every time I see her.  Even after the shower a few of us were hanging out in the hotel room catching up and we each had a hand on her belly, just waiting for Baby Gibbs to make a move. 

Herb Roasted Turkey

November 1^st, the day after Halloween and apparently Christmas season, as marked by the festive red Starbucks Holiday cups that have arrived in stores.  Kids are still coming down from their Halloween sugar high and yet, we seem to have blown through Thanksgiving and gone straight to Christmas.   Target started their Spot, the dog, Holiday commercials a few weeks ago, along with Walmart and Kmart touting their layaway options for presents.  If we continue on this trajectory we will soon be giving a whole new meaning to Christmas in July!  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that it is holiday season, and I LOVE when Starbucks transitions to their holiday cups.  I will love it even more after daylight savings this weekend.  Living in Chicago means the sun will set by 4pm after we “fall back.”  One of the perks of early holiday celebrations is the fact that Chicago puts up Christmas lights early, so even though it is pitch black at 5pm, I get to see all the twinkling lights on my bus ride home.

Halloween Cupcakes

Calling all procrastinators!  Did you forget you are supposed to bring Halloween cupcakes in for your kid’s class today?  Are you headed to a Halloween gathering this evening and want to bring a little something special?  Well, forget those store bought Halloween cupcakes.  By now they are probably picked over and only the smushed frosting ones remain.  Here are a few spooktacular cupcake ideas!

Chicken with Dates, Olives, and Cinnamon

Okay friends this recipe is going to be a bit polarizing…even I wasn't 100% sure about it.   I am not a huge fan of cinnamon in savory dishes (love it in sweet dishes), but thought to myself: chicken, good, dates, good, olives, gooooood!  The next time I make it I will cut out the cinnamon stick, but those are just my taste buds so feel free to keep it in.   I made this recipe a few weeks ago on a Sunday for the season premiere of The Good Wife.  If you have not checked out this show, it is a MUST see and it is set in Chicago – what what!!  I was also missing my good friend Katherine who used to live in my building and was my Good Wife watching and cooking buddy.  Sadly for me and happily for her, she moved back to Cincinnati to get married. 

Bacon Corn Chowder

Are you looking for a quickie???  Ok, get your head out of the gutter, it is not that kind of blog. This recipe was SUPER fast (20 minutes WHAT?!?!) and tasted great – a perfect weeknight meal.  When I found it on Cooking Light, there were mixed reviews…most of the negative comments were about the cooking directions, and I have adjusted them based on what I did.  The recipe also originally called for shrimp to be added, but I decided to substitute with some leftover chicken (already cooked) – put that in after the blending step.  To finish it off, I paired the soup with a nice piece of toasted sourdough bread to dip in the soup. 

Mini Spiced Pumpkins

Halloween is just around the corner and it starts bringing back fun childhood memories racing around the neighborhood with our pillowcases full of candy saying “trick or treat”.  The first stop we always made was right next door at the Northey’s house because they always had regular or king size candy, so you had to get there early! 

Winter White Turkey Burger

A few years back when I was living in Cincinnati, I was in a turkey burger rut, making the same ones over and over again.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my turkey burger recipes, but wanted to shake things up. I checked out Rachel Ray’s website and stumbled upon this little gem.  It is a quirky spin on a burger including pears, hot pepper jelly, and English muffins.  Did I lose you yet?  Did your face scrunch up and say to yourself “really Lindsay?!?”  I know, it sounds like an odd combination, but if you are a little bit of a risk taker, it is good!

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Panini with Balsamic Syrup

Did you get home late from work tonight and don’t feel like you have the energy to spend an hour cooking something?  If so, one of my favorite things to make is a hot sandwich because they are super easy, quick, warm, and hearty.  In my eyes there is a spectrum of hot sandwiches that range from the “everyday”end, like the grilled cheese I ate as a child, to the more “elegant” end of the spectrum with a Panini. 

Broccoli & Rice Casserole

A weekend weather forecast of cold and rainy weather means cleaning my apartment, doing laundry, and other indoor activities, only venturing out to run necessary errands.  This weekend I decided that I should attempt to take on my overflowing closet and pack up some clothes I haven't worn since I moved to Chicago (2.5 years ago) to donate to Goodwill.  In addition to this pre-winter "nesting" activity I had an urge to go through the millions of recipes I have clipped out of my cooking magazines and find some yummy comfort food...and what doesn't say comfort food like a casserole!?!