Asparagus & Provolone Stuffed Chicken

Asparagus & Provolone Stuffed Chicken

Worthy of a blog post. Very delicious, moist and full of flavor. Even picky eaters will enjoy this dish!

INGREDIENTS:

*4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
*4 tbsp of olive oil
*3 small tomatoes, chopped
*1/3 of a Vidalia onion
*1 bundle of asparagus spears (up to 15 or more)
*4 cloves of garlic
*3 tbsp of cilantro
*3 tbsp of parsley
*4 mushrooms (I used baby portabella)
*1 tbsp of Rosemary
*4 slices of provolone cheese (or any other cheese of your liking)
*1 box of toothpicks
*salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:
1.) Heat oil in a large frying pan at medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 mins or until the veggies are soft. DO NOT WASH PAN! Set aside.

2.) Place sauted mix WITH the cilantro and parsley in either a food processor or a blender and blend until finely chopped. Set aside.

3.) Prepare chicken by cutting off excess fat and placing inside large ziplock plastic bag. Then, cutting accross the middle horizontally, carefully (using your hand to hold breast down) cut the breast into two thinner pieces. Pound chicken breasts until 1/4 thick with a meat tenderizer (or hammer) :p

*** If you make a mistake and it isn't perfect, don't worry! As long as it rolls and the chicken is relatively the same width all the way through, you're fine!

4.) Smear some of the chopped veggie mix on top of the chicken. Lay a slice of cheese and 3 aspargus stems on top. Repeat for the remaining breasts.

5.) Roll the breast around the asparagus and secure with toothpicks. Add to the unwashed pan and sprinkle with paprika for color.

6.) Let cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

ENJOY!

Winter Break

A warm hello to all my readers. Sadly enough, I never thought that I would be writing a post like this, but you never know what life throws at you. This long winter break wasnt meant to be, but I guess what we call life is the most uncertain thing of our existence. Many of you would be missing recipes and posts here, I miss cooking & posting the recipes.

I am currently in South America, Brasil to be exact. Visiting family, attending my cousin's wedding, traveling and celebrating Carnival. Carnaval is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions. The country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities. I love this country :)

The blog has been and will be silent until I return home in March. I hope to get back to normal life, cooking and blogging soon. Till then, thanks a lot for all the love & appreciation you all have shown towards my little blog!

Much love,
Debbie
<3

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

This dish saves me so much time, especially if you prep the night before, and the slow cooker really allows the tastes and spices to blend together. The aroma that this meal leaves inside your house is out of this world! Perfect meal to come home to after a long day in the office.

INGREDIENTS:

*1 1/2 pounds ground beef

*1 1/3 cups uncooked white rice

*1 small onion, diced

*1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

*3 whole bay leaves

*1 teaspoon ground cumin

*1 teaspoon salt

*1 teaspoon pepper

*1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (OPTIONAL!)

*1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

*1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

*2 cloves of garlic, minced

*6 large green bell peppers, tops cut off and hollowed out

*32 ounces, canned, crushed tomatoes

*1 1/2 cups beef broth

*1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

PROCEDURE:

Mix together first 8 ingredients in bowl. Spoon mixture into peppers, filling about 3/4 of the way. (Discard pepper tops)

Place stuffed peppers into 5-quart slow cooker. Pour crushed tomatoes over peppers, some cheese, then pour beef broth around the sides.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Top with Parmesan cheese before serving.

6 to 8 hours later...

ENJOY!

Banana Nut Cake

Banana Nut Cake

Whip up banana nut cake in no time with this quick and easy recipe. I personally really like the taste and texture of this bread, very moist cake, perfect for using up overripe bananas. Not only are they easy to mash but they do have an outstanding flavor (instead of throwing them out) Best if made a day before serving.  I've made it several times and people rave about it. It is very easy to make. If any lasts until day 2, I warm it up in the microwave for about 8 seconds and add just a tad of butter and it's like eating it fresh out of the oven again. This bread doesn't last long, that's for sure!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

*3 cups all purpose flour
*2 2/3 cups sugar
*1 cup shortening
*4 mashed bananas
*1 cup buttermilk
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*2 teaspoons baking soda
*1 1/2 teaspoon salt
*4 eggs
*1 cup finely chopped nuts

PROCEDURE:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash all 4 peeled bananas in a seperate plate.

Beat all ingredients (except the nuts) in a large bowl on medium speed, scraping bowl constantly, until blended, about 30 seconds.

Beat on high speed , scraping bowl occasionally, for apx 3 minutes. Then add nuts.

Spoon into pans.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

ENJOY!

Debsie's Famous Stuffed Chicken

Debsie's Famous Stuffed Chicken

This is a fun and delicious recipe I put together at the last minute for some very hungry folks! One of my favorites, to be honest.  It’s hardly any work; the oven does the work for you, but it’s a very delicious and tasty way to serve chicken for a change. All the flavors together just work; flakey and crispy on the outside, moist and oozy on the inside.

Pairs well with fresh veggies or white rice. A glass of red wine compliments this dish very well!.

INGREDIENTS:

*4 chicken fillets
*4 frozen puff pastry sheets
*4 oz cream cheese (the firm kind)
*few rashes of bacon
*flat-leaf parsley
*handful of cilantro
*1 spring onion
*2 garlic cloves
*salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

Chop a spring onion and a small handful of flat-leaf parsley and cilantro. Gotta love the stuff. You can use any herb you like, though.



Add the spring onions, parsley, cilantro, crumbled up bacon and a good pinch of pepper to 4 oz firm cream cheese.

Mix all ingredients together. Adding a little garlic, chili pepper and/or grated cheese also tastes great! Just go wild! Think of fun and yummy combinations.

Make a fairly deep cut in each chicken fillet.

Spread 1/4 of the cream mixture inside the chicken.

My puff pastry sheets were fairly small, so I’ve used two for each chicken fillet. I kinda stuck them together, and flattened them with my dough pin.

Place the chicken on top of the puff pastry, with the cream cheese side down. Season the chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Just fold them until you end up with small packages.

Pop them in a preheated oven, and bake at 400F (200C) for 40 to 45 minutes.

Nom Nom Nom...

ENJOY!

Cookies*N*Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cookies*N*Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

These cheesecakes are super easy to prepare, everything comes together in one bowl and there’s no crushing chocolate wafers with a rolling pin, then melting butter, baking the crust first and then baking a second time when filled.
Just a little warning, once you try these, there’s no going back, absolutely mouthwatering and scrumptious!

INGREDIENTS:

*42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
*2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese, softened
*1 cup granulated sugar
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*4 large eggs, lightly beaten
*1 cup sour cream
*pinch of salt

PROCEDURE:

Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard cupcake pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt.

Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top.

Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight).

Remove from tins just before serving. Best served really cold! You can garnish with fresh whipped cream and crumbled Oreos if desired.

Nom nom nom...

Just a little taste of heaven <3

ENJOY!

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

Pão de Queijo — pronounced pow duh KAY-zhoo, or cheese bread, has a really interesting texture. It’s crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. These breads are a national craze in Brazil. Brazilians love their cheese bread, trust me, you will too.
I am obsessed with these cheese balls of goodness, can't get enough whenever I visit family in Brazil, and now that I know how to make them, WATCH OUT!

INGREDIENTS:

*1 egg, at room temperature
*1/3 cup olive oil.
*2/3 cup milk
*1 1/2 cups (170 grams) tapioca flour (tapioca starch)
*1/2 cup packed (about 100 grams) grated cheese of your choice (I like the combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese)
*1 heaping teaspoon salt

PROCEDURE:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin generously. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth.

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Eat while warm or save to reheat later.

ENJOY!