Friday, February 22, 2013

Comically Crafted Commercials

In my opinion, some of the BEST commercials of all time have popped up in the last four months. With that said, I thought I'd start Friday out right by sharing one of my faves with you. I cannot watch this without laughing uncontrollably and hope it has the same effect on you!

Happy Friday!! Enjoy!!


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Last weekend I had dinner at one of my friend's homes and I offered to bring an appetizer. I found this healthy recipe for Buffalo Chicken Bites and had been wanting to try it so this was the perfect opportunity. They were super easy to make and they turned out to be delicious!! I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Eat Yourself Skinny. I also stole the picture from her website as I forgot to take one, but they basically looked the same! ;)


Buffalo Chicken Bites
3 c. of shredded cooked chicken
1/3 c. hot sauce (I used Green Mill brand)
3 1/2 oz. fat free cream cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar 
1/4 c. red onion
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 c. Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, hot sauce, and cream cheese. Mix well. Stir in cheddar cheese and onions and set aside. Using three separate bowls, set out flour, egg and crushed Corn Flakes. Scoop out chicken mixture and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Next dip in flour, then egg and last coat with cereal. Repeat this until all the balls are complete. 

Place balls on cookie sheet (no need to grease) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and enjoy!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Spicy Stewed Sausage and Pepper Pasta

Dan's birthday was earlier this week and as a part of the celebration, I decided to make him dinner. I wanted to try something new, so I dug for a recipe and came across this Spicy Stewed Sausages with Three Peppers on the Food&Wine website. I didn't need as large of a portion as the recipe called for so I cut it in half and also served it over pasta instead of bread. It turned out great!

Recipe
1 lb sweet italian sausage (pricked all over with a fork)
Olive Oil
1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch dice
1 green bell pepper cut into 1-inch dice
1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch dice
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 small fennel bulb-trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 habanero chile, seeded and thinly sliced
salt
1/2 cup dry red wine (I chose an Italian blend so that I could drink the rest!)
1/2 cup of freshly grated pecorino cheese
1/2 lb of whole wheat pasta (or any pasta of your choosing)

Light a grill. Brush the sausages with olive oil and grill over a medium-hot fire, turning, until nicely charred and just cooked through, about 16 minutes total. If you have a large cast iron skillet, set this on the grill and add about 1T. to the pan. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, feel free to use a regular frying pan on the stove. Once you've added the olive oil , add the peppers, onion, fennel and chiles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt. Slice the sausages into pieces and add to the pan. Add the wine to the pan as well and simmer until it is reduced to about half, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle about half the cheese over the mixture. Serve atop the noodles and pass the remaining cheese.