14 months later… Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Posted in Entrees, Soup by Cavities & Cravings

How has it been 14 months since my last post?! When I spend time and reflect on the past year, I think to myself – how has it only been a year? At the same time I think, how has it already been a year? It’s funny how time messes with you like that.

My first year of my pediatric dental residency has come and gone; I sure have learned a lot. Honestly, I blame being on call for my time away from blogging. These kiddos seriously know how to mess up their teeth at all hours of the day and night. I’m not even joking. My future children will be missing out on so many things thanks to my residency experience: no playing baseball, basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse, they can forget about bike riding, no running through the house with socks on, no trampolines, no jumping in to swimming pools, no water slides, no roller blading, no coffee tables allowed in the house, no running on cement … I’m sure there’s more that I am missing. The point is, my future kids will be watching a lot of tv.. while wrapped in a bubble. Take a moment and be thankful for your two front teeth (please forgive me if you’ve experienced a trauma and are missing your front teeth).

Anyways, what matters now is that I’ve been re-inspired and reminded of my love for the kitchen, I’m back and I’m committed. Boom! I already have so many recipes to share with you.

The weather is cooling off here in Cincinnati… aka soup season aka crockpot season. I threw together this delicious Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup one day last week. This recipe is great because you can literally use what you have. Make substitutions/additions with veggies based on what’s in your fridge. Husband and I made grilled cheese sandwiches on the side (Mine: cheese and avocado. Husband: cheese, turkey, bacon, ranch). Yum in my tum. I’ll be making this recipe many more times!

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of your favorite salsa
2 cups corn
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional Toppings:
- shredded cheese*
- sour cream*
- diced tomatoes
- green onions
- cilantro
- diced avocado*
- tortilla strips*
- (* = what I put on mine)

Instructions:

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breast at bottom of crockpot.
In a medium sized bowl mix together condensed cream of chicken, chicken broth, salsa, corn, black beans, water, and all spices. Mix well. Pour on top of chicken in crockpot.
Cook on low for 4 – 6 hours (I think mine cooked for 8 hours)
Remove chicken and shred. Stir shredded chicken back in to crockpot. Serve soup with your favorite toppings.

Modified from: The Recipe Critic

13Jul2014

Chicken Cheddar Jalapeno Burgers

Posted in Entrees by Cavities & Cravings

Life has been wonderful, I am loving my residency program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. It’s amazing how much I have already learned in my first few weeks! Finishing dental school and moving on to the next chapter is really quite terrifying, but these past few weeks have reassured me that I am exactly where I should be. My new co-residents have also been awesome, I am so thankful that I have such a great group of people to work with and learn from. A few of them came over for fourth of July, I made some delicious berry cheesecake bars, I’ll have to share the recipe a different day.

Today I want to share the recipe for these delicious Chicken Cheddar Jalapeño Burgers, these might just be my new favorite burger. Ok fine, nothing beats a classic cheeseburger, but these chicken burgers are full of so much flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous, try these, they won’t disappoint! I can’t wait to make them again.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño (more or less based on spice preference)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
Hamburger buns
Optional burger toppings: salsa, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream

Instructions

Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill over medium heat.
In a medium bowl mix ground chicken, onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use your hands to incorporate everything well.
Form the mixture into four 1/2 inch thick patties.
Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.
Serve each patty in a burger bun. We topped ours with guacamole, sour cream and salsa and it was delicious!

22Jun2014

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

One of my all time favorite things to do is explore new cities. I love wondering aimlessly and exploring all the nooks of a city. Although I hate change, making the move from Columbus to Cincinnati has really given me the opportunity to explore an entirely new city in Ohio. I am loving it; Cincinnati is yet to disappoint.

Kentucky is right across the river from Cincinnati, so one of the neat things to do is walk over the “Purple People Bridge” that crosses from Cincinnati to Newport, KY. Husband and I explored Newport on the Levee this weekend and it was great! There were plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops. We ate at Tom + Chee, which by the way is known for the grilled cheese donuts (I know your mouth just watered, its ok…admit it), followed by aimless wondering. It was wonderful.

Tomorrow is my first day of orientation for my residency! Eeee! I’m bundle of excited nerves… which is probably why I baked multiple times this week. Today I baked my all time favorite cupcake: Buckeye Cupcakes for the cookout all the residents are having tomorrow night. My other new co-residents aren’t from Ohio, so I figure this will be a good way to explain the Buckeye craze here in Ohio. Earlier this week I also made these fabulous cookies! I was in the mood to bake, so I used what I had in my pantry. They turned out extra fluffy and moist.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups white chocolate morsels

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Set aside

3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.

5. Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

6.. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I suppose its time for bed, early day tomorrow. Night friends.

16Jun2014

Teriyaki Salmon with a Sriracha Cream Sauce

Posted in Asian Inspired, Entrees, Seafood by Cavities & Cravings

How has it been 7 months since my last post? Time has whipped right past me and so many changes have happened over the months. I feel as though I am having an out of body experience. Any moment now I am going to wake up and I’ll be right where I was last fall…

So what’s changed? Where to begin. First and foremost, I graduated from dental school!! I never thought the day would actually come, I am still in shock. I am so thankful for all of my friends and family who have supported and encouraged me over the years. It was a long road, but I was sad to say goodbye to so many great friends. Although this chapter in my life is over, the next one has begun! I was accepted in to a pediatric dental residency at Cincinnati Children’s hospital. Eeee!! It is a two year program and I am ecstatic to begin seeing the all the little kiddos. Please stay tuned for funny kid stories.

Husband and I moved a couple of weeks ago and are all settled in. We are renting a cute little house in a neighborhood of Cincinnati. One of the hardest parts of moving is having to eat out so many days in a row while the pots and pans are all packed up. One of the very first meals I made once we were settled was this teriyaki salmon dish. It is one of husband’s favorite salmon dishes now! Love love love this recipe. The sweet teriyaki paired with the sriracha cream sauce is perfect. Please try it!

Ingredients for the Fillet:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 salmon filets
Green onions (optional)

Ingredients for the Sriracha Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

1. To make the Sriracha cream sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha and condensed milk in a small bowl; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes; allow it to cool to room temperature.

4. In a gallon size ziploc bag or large bowl, combine teriyaki marinade and salmon filets; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. The longer you marinade, the more intense the flavor.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick spray.

6. Place salmon filets along with the marinade onto prepared baking dish and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.

7. Serve salmon immediately with Sriracha cream sauce. Garnish with sliced green onion.

27Nov2013

Apple Crisp Pie

Posted in Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I’m sure many of you are up and about preparing for tomorrow’s feast. Not this girl! This past weekend we hosted Friendsgiving at our house and it was wonderful. We have so much to be thankful for and we wanted to celebrate with our friends. I made a turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, apple crisp pie. pumpkin cheesecake, and peanut butter brownies. Everyone else brought a dish to share, we had quite the feast!

Husband and I are just hanging out here in Columbus for thanksgiving since he has to work on Friday. So we will be keeping it fairly low key, which is fine by me! The past couple of months in school have been so busy as I have been traveling a lot, so I am thankful for the this quiet holiday.

I wanted to share this Apple Crisp Pie in case there are any last minute recipe hunters out there. I LOVED this pie. It really was simple to make and it turned out delicious, highly recommended.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Crust: 9″ pre-made deep dish crust OR homemade crust

Filling:

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
7 medium apples or 9 small apples
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Combine dry ingredients: brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg
Thinly slice apples
Mix apples with dry mixture and lemon juice
Once crust is defrosted, poke holes on the bottom and sides of your unbaked crust
Fill crust with your apple filling; set aside

Crumb Topping:

1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)

Combine all ingredients until you get a crumbly mixture
Use your hands and sprinkle over your pie until you get an even top
Cover edge of crust with aluminum foil

Baking Instructions:

Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 30 minutes
Increase heat to 375 degrees then bake for 5 minutes
Uncover crust and bake for 10-14 minutes or until the crumbs turn golden brown
Let cool for at least an hour then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

22Nov2013

Sunday Morning Breakfast Casserole

Posted in Breakfast by Cavities & Cravings

Ahh breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. What’s not to love? Breakfast casseroles are pretty fantastic because they are easy to throw together and they satisfy that need for egg-cheese-biscuits-sauasage all in one bite. Mmm mmm good. I wanted to share this recipe because it is so easy and convenient to throw together! This is a great recipe to have handy during the holiday season to feed the masses.

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

1 can buttermilk grands biscuits
1 lb pork sausage
8 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Brown pork sausage and drain. Place in casserole dish.

3. Open biscuits and cut in to bite size pieces. Place in casserole dish.

4. Mix together eggs, milk, cheese, green peppers, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add egg mixture to casserole dish and mix well.

5. Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let dish sit for 5 minutes before digging in.

22Sep2013

{Goodbye Summer} Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with a Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Posted in Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

Happy Autumn, everyone!

I love summer, so I felt it necessary to give summer a proper goodbye before welcoming fall with open arms. A few weeks ago I made these fabulous cupcakes and brought them in to the clinic I was working at for the week. They were a huge success. If i was asked to describe the taste of summer, this would be it. The blueberry-lemon combination was the perfect mix of sweet and tart. I was hesitant at first to do a lemon buttercream frosting because I didn’t want the lemon to be too overpowering, but I think it was quite the opposite. The icing really brought out the flavor of the cupcake without being overpowering. I cannot wait to make these again!

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients for cupcake:

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup blueberries

Ingredients for icing:

1 cup crisco, butter flavor
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
Zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

4. Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just incorporated, do not over-beat.

5. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Using a spatula gently fold the berries into the cake batter.

6. Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups.
7. Bake 17-19 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. For the frosting: Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until thick and creamy. Add more powdered sugar if necessary until the frosting is of good piping consistency. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Goodbye summer!

28Aug2013

Panko and Mustard Crusted Salmon

Posted in Entrees, Seafood by Cavities & Cravings

It’s only taken me nearly 5 years for me to get Husband to eat salmon. Mission successful! I can now make it regularly and he seems to enjoy it. As I was easing in to making salmon regularly I tried to keep flavors and recipes simple, just so I wouldn’t make the wrong move and destroy all chances of Husband every eating salmon again. Good thinking, right?

I loved the way this recipe turned out, the flavor was great and it was easy to make! It was a nice change from the simple seasoning I had been doing in the past.

Enjoy! 🙂

Ingredients:

4, 5 -ounce Salmon filets
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 cup Panko breadcrumb
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In bowl, mix together Panko breadcrumb, garlic salt, pepper, paprika and parsley.

2. Brush each salmon filet with mustard and then coat with Panko breadcrumb mixture

3. On medium heat, heat skillet with olive oil. Place filets, skin side down, on skillet for 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on baking sheet. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Serve with rice or over a salad.

27Aug2013

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert by Cavities & Cravings

My favorite muffin is a blueberry muffin, but adding cream cheese to the mix seems to have changed everything! These muffins turned out delic, so moist that they nearly melt in your mouth.

Hurry up and try this recipe before blueberries are taken over by all the boring winter fruit.

Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk ( I used skim)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Prepare muffin tins.
Mix together cream cheese, 1/4 cup white sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and 1 egg with an electric mixer. Set filling aside.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/3 cup white sugar, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Beat remaining egg, and stir in milk and oil; pour into flour mixture, and stir until moistened. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 full. Spoon 1 teaspoon filling onto batter. Top with batter to 3/4 full.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

18Jul2013

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Posted in Dental school, Entrees by Cavities & Cravings

Dental school continues to take over my life… the good news is, I graduate in approximately 287 days, 14 hours and 15 minutes. But, I mean, who’s counting? Last week I took part 2 of my national board exam. 2500 dollars and 3 days of testing later, lets just say it sucked. The light at the end of the tunnel is dim, but it’s there.

In between the craziness of school I’ve managed to squeeze in some great times with friends and family. Summertime is my favorite time of year. It’s the season of weddings, cookouts, festivals, pool days and all things warm and fuzzy… I am sad to realize that it is already over half way over. Where has the time gone?

So speaking of summer, I think this is an awesome light summer recipe. I am so excited to share this recipe because it is so simple and so delicious. I love that this recipe used greek yogurt as an alternative to mayo, which is in traditional chicken salads. I’m also pretty much obsessed with anything with Franks Red Hot in it, I think it temporarily satisfies my craving for chicken wings. And by temporarily I mean for like 5 minutes. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did.

Ingredients:

5 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese ( I hate blue cheese… so I skipped this and a splash or ranch dressing instead!)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.

2. Stir in chicken, celery, cilantro, and blue cheese.

3. Refrigerate until serving. I served mine in pita pockets. Delicious.

Recipe has been modified from: The Novice Chef

Other recipes I’ve made with Franks Red Hot: