Chicken, Broccoli, Penne Alfredo

Ok so it's been ridiculously chilly here in Germany the past week or two that we've been home and all I want to do is bundle up in my downy-fluff blanket and eat warm, delicious food! At the same time I am making a conscious effort to slim down so this puts me in quite the predicament!

Back in the days of pregnancy #1 I had the lovely blessing of gestational diabetes and during that time I became well acquainted with the DLife website - it's a fantastic website for anyone who has diabetes! It has a ginormous variety of recipes and breaks each one down so that you can see how many calories, carbs, etc. So I logged my happy self right onto this website and began searching for something warm and savory...the end result was Alfredo Sauce :) DELISH!!! I used a low-carb penne pasta and threw in some broccoli and grilled chicken. It was amazing, I swear it!  

Ingredients:
1 box of Dreamfields Low Carb Penne Pasta
1 head of Broccoli, steamed and chopped roughly
2 chicken breasts
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2.5 cups of low fat milk
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes
nonstick Spray (PAM)


Directions:
In a pot, steam the broccoli until tender then set aside.

In a pan, spray some nonstick spray and heat on med-high heat. Lightly sprinkle salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on the chicken breasts and then cook until golden brown. Set aside to rest, don't cut into them until you're ready to serve everything!


Bring a pot of water to boil and salt heavily. Plop those noodles in and while they're cooking you can start the alfredo sauce...



In a pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Make sure you mix the ingredients completely and then let it brown up - it takes about 5 minutes or so. Then whisk in the milk gradually, stirring continually. Feel free to add salt and pepper here to your liking. Once the sauce has thickened you can add the parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly.


In a large bowl combine the noodles, alfredo sauce, and broccoli and mix together. Serve a few scoops up into a bowl and then slice up a few strips of chicken and place it on top. I added a little shredded cheese on top just for good measure :)


Pictures:

Apple Crumb Cake

Alright, well tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we were invited to have dinner at Bill and Tina's house which is just lovely because I'll be damned if I was going to attempt to make a turkey in this miniature oven lol. Even if I was lucky enough to fit the turkey into the oven there would have been no room for anything additional so it just would have been a pathetic Thanksgiving. (Not that I can really complain since this will be my THIRD Thanksgiving this year haha). Anyway, so in addition to the Celery and Onion Stuffing that I posted a few days ago I am also baking a dessert. Now of course when you think Thanksgiving you think PIE but I wanted to do something different so I am baking an Apple Crumb Cake and OMG my entire house smells divine! 

I initially found this recipe when I was visiting my parents in North Carolina and it was a hit there so I'm doing it again :) It's actually Emeril's recipe but I have changed a few things around and omitted the glaze that he normally adds. (The link to the one he makes is as follows: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/apple-coffee-cake-with-crumble-topping-and-brown-sugar-glaze-recipe/index.html) But here's the way I did it...

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 stick of butter - salted

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large apples - peeled, cored and diced into small cubes

Cooking Spray (Pam)

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, softened 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with the cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges. 

To make the crumb topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. (**My cake took about 65 minutes but I used a s deeper dish and perhaps the German altitude has something to do with it because I always have to bake things longer than recipes call for with this oven. So just make sure that the center is not wet before taking it out of the oven.) Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. 

Obviously, devour this when it’s warm with a cup of coffee/tea/cocoa/spiced cider/or milk!  It’s AMAZING!

Pictures:

 Everything mixed before adding the crumb topping...

 With the crumb topping.

Jer's Caulifower Soup!

Let's just start with one word: YUM!
Ok so back in the day I used to hate vegetables...ok so some of them I still DO hate lol but I've come a long way so try not to judge me. Anyhoo, one vegetable that I have always loved is cauliflower. Perhaps because whenever my mom would make it for dinner it would be smothered in a delectable cheese sauce. If it wasn't in cheese then I normally wasn't interested; however, like I said, I've come a long way lol. So when my friend Jeremy posted on facebook this delightful meal I was basically craving it instantly. And you know what, it was just as magnificent as I had dreamed it would be! So thanks Jer!
I would also like to say that had I not been trying to 'watch my weight' due to the fact that I have overindulged for the past 8 weeks in the states, I would have absolutely baked a loaf of that dutch oven bread and devoured the two recipes together. They honestly would have been delightful - ok now I am bummed that I didn't make the bread lol. Whatever. Alright, lets cook...

Ingredients:

1 stick Butter (divided in half)

½ whole Onion (diced)

1 whole Carrot (diced) – optional, I didn’t use it but I HATE carrots J

1 stalk Celery (diced)

1 - 2 Whole Cauliflower Heads (roughly chopped)

2 Tablespoons Parsley (chopped) - optional

2 quarts Chicken Broth – but Jeremy used Vegetable Broth in his so whatever you’d perfer

4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

2 ½ cups Heavy Cream (divided in 2 cup and ½ cup)

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Cayenne (pinch) - optional

Sour Cream

Directions:

In a large soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes.

Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, pour in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan make a rue of 4 tablespoons melted butter, stir flour into melted butter until smooth.  Add 2 cups heavy cream and whisk to combine. Once the rue has thickened, add it to the simmering soup – then add ½ cup extra heavy cream. 

Add seasonings as desired

Allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes.

Before serving, place a dollop of sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen and then add the hot soup.

Pictures:

 Celery, Onions, and Cauliflower

 Pre-simmer...

Et Voila - Seriously add a slice of crusty bread and DEVOUR!

 

Sidenote - how is anyone supposed to cook when this is happening...

Celery & Onion Stuffing

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I am just giddy thinking about the feasting, although I must confess this is not my first Turkey day this year. In fact, this will be my THIRD! haha OOPS! Well, it wasn't really an accident. The first one took place a few weeks ago in North Carolina at my parent's house. Charli and I were visiting my family and since we knew that we would be apart for the "real" Thanksgiving we decided to have a Fakesgiving - turkey and trimmings and everything. It was amazing!!! I made this stuffing and it's one of my sister's favorite things to eat at Thanksgiving - which says a lot because my mom is an excellent cook so when Jojo decides she wants mine I am psyched lol love you Jojo :)
The second Thanksgiving feast was at my in-law's house in California just last week - see I told you I've been traveling! Zach and I made the stuffing there and it was a hit again. I swear it's just that good!
Anyhoo, Zach and I kind of made this recipe up years ago when we couldn't find the stuffing at the store that we liked and it's just been kind of a staple ever since. It is definitely time consuming so make sure to start it a few hours before you want to eat it - otherwise your feet will be killing you by the time it's ready to devour!

Ingredients:
4-6 stalks of celery - chopped or sliced (the thicker the slice the chunkier the stuffing will be so if you like the taste of the celery without the crunch, like me, then slice the celery very finely!)
1 large white onion - diced finely
4-6 cups of chicken broth
2 loaves of french bread
1 large loaf of sourdough bread
salt, pepper, garlic to taste
3 tbs butter, salted
Non-stick spray, PAM or whatever you prefer

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
While your oven is preheating, start by cutting the french and sourdough breads into 1/2" cubes. Place the cubes onto a cookie sheet and lightly spray with PAM, then generously sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on the bread cubes. Cook the cubes until they are lightly golden and crispy - about 7-10 minutes. Once they're golden toss them into a huge mixing bowl! Trust me bigger is better here because there's going to be a lot of them before you mix in the chicken broth.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter and toss in the onions and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper generously and then cook the onions and celery on medium heat until they are tender - about 10-15 minutes or so. Once they are cooked to your liking, sprinkle the mixture onto the breadcrumbs. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth to the breadcrumb and celery and onion mixture and begin to toss lightly. Once mixed, add another 2 cups of the chicken broth. Depending how wet you like your stuffing you can start to gauge how much more broth you'll need. I typically use the full 6 cups of broth but it's totally up to you. Once it's all mixed together, throw it in a large casserole dish and cover.

You can store it in the fridge until you're ready to heat it with the rest of your Thanksgiving feast, you can stuff your turkey with it if you'd like, or you can cheat and it it right then and there if it's warm enough for you!

I swear it's super easy and incredibly delicious - it's something I normally get seconds of and then eat as a snack the following 2 days lol...Enjoy!

Pictures:

Biscuits and Gravy

Ok, it's 5am in Germany and I am absolutely awake! I suppose that it might be due to the fact that I have hopped 9 hours ahead in time zones and the past 48 hours were consumed with 5 airports, 4 planes, 3 cars, 2 mental breakdowns and 1 hotel stay. You would think after all that fun I would just sleep for about 48 hours to catch back up but nope, I am awake and hungry lol!
Of course, all that travel - in addition to the past 8 weeks I have been away from my home - has made me want to just be in my jammies in the kitchen - so that's what's happening today. And the best way to start my morning off - as far as I can tell - is to whip up some biscuits and gravy to go along with this amazing cup of coffee. Now normally this is Zach's department 1) because I am lazy and 2) because he's just so darn good at the gravy - but today he's teaching me a thing or two. Also, because its 5am and I am just not fully stocked in the ingredient department after being gone so long we're totally cheating by using Pillsbury flaky grands biscuits,. Zach normally has me make the biscuits but that's a total production and this am I'm so not up for that.
Ok so here we go...

Ingredients:
3 chicken bouillon cubes - crushed
1 1/2 cup milk
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
4 oz sausage (I used reduced fat Jimmy Dean - but you can use whatever, or even omit it if you don't fancy it)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of Pillsbury Grands Flaky Biscuits (or get fancy and make your own, today I am cheating lol)

Directions:
Preheat your oven for the biscuits.

While the oven is preheating, cook the sausage up. In a frying pan, cook the sausage until browned (about 5 minutes or so) and then set it aside on a few paper towels to drain the excess drippings. You wont need it until the very end, of if you decide not to use it just scroll down.

Once the oven is preheated, toss the biscuits in and start the gravy.

Gravy:
In a sauce pan melt the butter. Toss in the flour and mix until both are entirely melted and combined - it should look like creamy peanut butter lol. Continue to cook the mixture on medium heat for about 3 minutes. DO NOT rush this step! If you under cook this your gravy will just taste like flour - yucky! Ok, once the mixture is cooked, add the bouillon and milk. Wisk everything together until all the lumps are gone. Bring the gravy to a low boil, while continuing to wisk sporadically. (Keep the milk on hand in case your gravy becomes too thick for your liking and feel free to splash a bit more to loosen it up). **Remember that once the gravy cools it will thicken further. Once the gravy is a good consistency you can toss the sausage in and salt and pepper to taste!

Pictures:

 Nicely blended - still needs a few minutes to actually cook up.

 Gravy: pre-sausage

 Gravy: with yummy sausage!

YUM!

Just Kidding...

SO...um hello! Are you still out there....I guess I owe a little explanation for falling off the planet, right?
Ok well here goes nothing...so the last post was a good 2 months ago - ugh that's gross to even say I am so bummed that it's been so long...however, it wasn't without reason. For those of you who have read this lovely blog you know that we were expecting our 2nd addition to the family - we were psyched out of our minds - and yes we definitely were referring to this baby as Hansel or Grettle Von Tift in the spirit of things German LOL...however, it is with utter sadness that I have to report Hansel or Grettle has gone to Heaven WAYYY early :( Unfortunately, this rocked my world a bit more than I would have liked and well I ran to North Carolina (as well as  about 14 other states) and fell off the planet.
I am happy to report that I am finally back home, in Germany, with my wonderful husband and amazing baby girl Charlotte. We got home last night and I feel refreshed - despite the jetlag lol - and I am soooo ready to get cooking!
So, I absolutely apologize for such a long delay in posting but that's hopefully behind me. I have my heath back and the holidays are right around the corner (for those of us who haven't cheated and had 2 Thanksgiving's already haha oops! more on that later) and I don't know about you but I am ready to cook and bake until Santa comes down that chimney....so here we go, again :)

Hansel (or Grettle)...The Distraction....

Oh HI!!! I am alive! I am so sorry to have fallen off the planet - I know some of you actually like to read this blog lol as much as I like doing it and I am super sorry to have put y'all on hold for so long. As many of you know, I am pregnant! I am beyond excited about it and literally have been just on cloud 9 (mentally) about it for weeks. However, they say every pregnancy is different and BOY ARE THEY RIGHT! This pregnancy has surprised me with every symptom known to women possible and it has been quite a challenge. Having said that, the mere idea of cooking or consuming food has absolutely appalled me for the past 3 weeks or so and because of that I just havent been cooking or really consuming much aside from crackers and sugar free juice. Also, because pregnancy is so fun I would like to mention that I now have an aversion to sugar - thank you gestational diabetes - for making such a quick appearance during this pregnancy. As such, I am totally offended by the idea of sugar and carbs at the moment lol I know this is as SHOCKING to me as it is to you!
Ok, so now that you know my predicament I would just like to say thanks for being so patient with me. I am finally starting to feel a little bit better and I am hoping that I will be back and cooking in the next week so stay tuned.

Also if anyone has any diabetic recipes or suggestions you'd like to throw my way - DO IT! I'll be on the look out for things delicious yet surprisingly healthy for a diabetic :)

xoxo To you all for your patience - I promise this maiden will get her grove back...I've just GOT TO!

~ Tricia