I'm not someone who is all sold out to Atkins and low-carb eating, but I'm also someone who sort of naturally can tend that way because I like bread, but I don't LOVE it.  I know I've just lost at least half of you.  Sorry!



Anyway, this particular recipe came to me courtesy of BuzzFeed, and I thought it looked easy and interesting enough, so I made it, but I tweaked it to be a chicken philly stuffed pepper instead of a traditional beef filling, because I already had rotisserie chicken, so why not?  The result?  This was a doggone good dinner, and easy and fast to boot.  We served it with french fries.  So, whether you're intentionally avoiding bread, or you're simply intrigued by this recipe, go for it.  This recipe definitely gets my thumbs-up.

Chicken Philly Stuffed Peppers
adapted from Peace Love and Low Carb Blog

To serve 2 people

2 medium bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and white membranes removed.
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 (8 oz) package mushrooms, cleaned and diced
4-8 slices provolone cheese
4 slices roast beef, cut into small strips or squares
Butter and/or olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and place a large pan onto the stove over medium to med-high heat.  Place about 1 Tb. butter and 1-2 Tb. oil into the pan.

Drizzle the pepper halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place onto a baking sheet or into a baking dish and roast while you prepare the filling.  Once your pan on the stove is heated, place the onions and mushrooms into the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sauté until the onions and mushrooms are softened and browned.  Turn off the heat and add the roast beef just to heat through.

Remove the peppers from the onion.  If you like a lot of cheese, line the bottom of each pepper half with one slice of provolone cheese.  If not, simply skip this step.  Divide the filling between the four peppers and top each one with another slice of provolone.  Return the peppers to the oven and roast for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

This is an ode to decadence and that magical combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  I got it from a cookbook I've had since before I was married and made it for the first time a few weeks ago.  Hi, my name is Lauren, and I'm a recipe hoarder.




So, anyway, the pie.  It's easy to make, and it's rich.  It's super tasty and decadent, and since it's a refrigerator pie, it's perfect for warmer weather.  No cooking/baking involved.  Yay!  It'd be dreamy with a glass of cold milk or with a nice cup of coffee.



Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
from Eagle Brand recipes

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup honey roasted peanuts, finely chopped
6 Tb butter, softened
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, peanuts, and butter; press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate.  Set aside

Pour 1/2 cup of the cream into a microwave safe bowl; microwave on high 2 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the condensed milk and all the chocolate chips until smooth.  Spoon mixture into the prepared crust and refrigerate 1 hour.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.  In another mixing bowl, beat the remaining condensed milk, cream cheese, and peanut butter until smooth.  Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream until incorporated and then gently fold in the rest.  Spoon this mixture over the chocolate filling.  Chill at least 2 hours.  Store covered in the refrigerator.


Notes

• Chocolate graham crackers were difficult for me to find, but I did find them.  You can of course substitute regular graham crackers or just buy a graham cracker crust.  I think the Oreo crust might put it over the top in terms of sweetness so I wouldn't recommend it, but if you do this, please let me know how it turns out!
• If you leave this pie out in a warm room for a while, it will get really loose and not keep its shape well.  This is definitely best eaten straight out of the fridge.  

Mac and cheese is so good, isn't it?  Creamy, cheesy, hearty.  Oh gosh, no wonder it's one of the top comfort foods out there.  Just telling you about this recipe makes me want some.

A few years ago a coworker started bringing crock pot mac and cheese to our staff potlucks and it was some of the best macaroni and cheese EVER.  I don't have her recipe, but it did cause me to start pinning slow cooker mac and cheese recipes like crazy and this past summer, I finally tried one of them out.  I've since made it again, and Drew thinks it's his favorite recipe yet.

It's creamy, cheesy, and smooth, and it's pretty hands-off.  If you need a lot of macaroni and cheese, this is your recipe.  Since it's made in a slow cooker, it's great for any time of the year, because the slow cooker doesn't heat up the kitchen like the stove or oven.  Love that!

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
from Trisha Yearwood via Food Network

Cooking spray
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick ) of butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
Two 10-ounce bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 5 cups)
Dash of paprika

In a large 4-quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray (or greased with butter), mix the macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, eggs and all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture and then sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, stir the mixture and serve hot.

This is one of the recipes I remember my mom making a lot.  We didn't have it every week or anything, but we had it pretty often, and with good reason.  Everyone loves it, even those who don't usually like meatloaf.  For whatever reason there was a span of time I don't remember eating it at all- I'm sure it was partially because I was away at college or living on my own, but recently mom has broken the meatloaf out for some family dinners, and I am immediately transported to second grade, and that's a good thing.



Since rediscovering the meatloaf, I've made it for a family reunion and Drew has made it for the fire station.  This recipe is older than I am, and it's not going anywhere any time soon.

Meatloaf
from my mom's recipe collection

1.5 lbs. ground beef (85/15 is recommended, but any kind will do)
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup milk
4 Tb (1/4 cup) ketchup
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Mix above ingredients and lightly press into a 9x13 baking dish.  Pour over the sauce (recipe to follow) and bake, uncovered, at 350 for 1 hour.

Sauce
4 Tb (1/4 c) apple cider vinegar
2 Tb (1 oz) Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tb (1/4 c) brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Heat until warm and pour over meatloaf.

Notes

• my mom recommends 85% lean ground beef and I won't question it.  I'd say if you choose to go leaner, you may want to cover the meatloaf for the first 20-30 minutes.
• You want to use ground beef that is in a square package, not the tube.  The tubes compress the meat too much.  

Every family, every cook has their simple favorites, the recipes that are go-to's for busy nights or times where you just aren't sure what to cook.  They are not fancy, and they're not what you would make for your audition for Master Chef, but they are what you make for your family on, say a Tuesday.  You often don't even need to pull out a cookbook or smart phone to make it- you know how it's done.  What are some of your recipes/dinner ideas like that?  Let me know in the comments :)

Thanks to going out of date sales, I've come into some ground beef lately.  I say that like some people talk about coming into money.

Weird name, delicious dish.  I promise!

Zucchini season is mostly over here, but it can still be found at farmer's markets and maybe other parts of the country.  Thanks to my mother in law, we had a couple zucchini plants that gave us enough for a couple different dishes.  Thanks, Barbara!



I had this recipe pinned for a couple years when we had zucchini coming out our ears, and you can only make so much zucchini bread before you feel like you're going to need the Biggest Loser Ranch, am I right?  So anyway, I pinned this recipe a while back but hadn't made it yet.  I've made several other zucchini recipes, but I like to try new recipes (hence the blog).



I can remember pinning this one and not being too sure about it.  Zucchini pizza casserole?  Sounds weird.  I like zucchini on pizza, so maybe it will work, but what if it's one of those attempts to be healthy that ends up with a dish that doesn't taste very good?  Oh, well, it's rated pretty highly on Taste Of Home's website so I'll give it a go.

You've just had a peek inside my mind.  I hope that doesn't deter you!


Anyway, I tried it and we liked it!  This casserole has a zucchini and cheese crust topped by a sauce that is like meat sauce for spaghetti.  The one way I'd like to improve this dish is to make the sauce taste more like pizza sauce than spaghetti sauce.  The next time I make this dish I may try to not cook the tomatoes before baking the casserole.  That crust, though.  It is delicious!  If you like the taste of cheese when it gets a little cooked and browned, you want to eat the entire crust without sharing.

So I recommend this recipe.  It's easy and tasty, and is probably a good one to take to a potluck or a friend who may need a meal.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole
from Taste of Home

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°. Place zucchini in colander; sprinkle with salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out moisture.

Combine zucchini with eggs, Parmesan and half of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into a greased 13x9-in. or 3-qt. baking dish. Bake 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add red pepper. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes longer.

Freeze option: Cool baked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap casserole; reheat on a lower oven rack until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. Yield: 8 servings.

Other Zucchini Recipes
Zucchini Ribbons With Almond Pesto
Zucchini Bread
Grilled Pizza
Ricotta Pasta with Zucchini and Corn
Italian Greens Soup (Ed Fretwell Soup)
Vegetarian Fajitas
Summer Squash Sauté
Ratatouille
Roasted Vegetable Minestrone

I know, it doesn't seem as practical or sane to make a cinnamon roll as it is to buy one of those nice tubes in the refrigerated section and bake them.  I'll tell you why.  One day I wanted a cinnamon roll, but being a new mother, I still haven't gotten a good hang on going to the store with my little guy.  He's only slightly more patient than his father when it comes to shopping, and then there's all that baby gear, like the diaper bag, the car seat, and either a carrier or stroller.  By the time you get loaded and unloaded, you've spent almost as much time going to the store as you would making these cinnamon rolls, and you wouldn't have nearly the quality.

Most of us home cooks have long known how valuable a slow cooker is.  How great is it to put a bunch of ingredients into the pot, turn it on, and hours later be rewarded with a great aroma and a (hopefully) tasty meal?

Now I'm going to share a revelation that most of you moms will laugh and roll your eyes at, but I had the impression that when I stayed at home with my baby, I'd have all this extra time to cook and clean.  I'll pause while you wipe the tears of laughter from your eyes.

All better and composed now?  Ok.  So anyway, I've now figured out how difficult it is to care of a baby and brush your teeth, let alone cook a meal, and I'm back to the time we decided to try to become champions of the slow cooker.  We still have a long way to go, but I've added another recipe to my fairly small repertoire- slow cooker honey sesame chicken.  If you like Asian inspired foods, then this one is right up your alley.  It's easy and light, with a sauce that works nicely over rice or with noodles.  I love, too, that it's made with ingredients found in your home and not ones that you'd need to visit the Asian market to find.  I made it for my sister and me to eat one evening, and we both agreed this recipe is a keeper.

I slightly changed some of the recipe, so I'll post what I did, and the recipe title is a link to the original.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
adapted from Lindsay Weiss

1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon nut or seed oil (I used flax oil)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 small package snow peas (not frozen, from the produce section)
Sesame seeds

Cut chicken into cubes or strips.  Season chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Stir in corn starch until completely dissolved. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Stir in snow peas. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

Notes

• The original recipe called for sesame oil, and the one time I bought it for a meal I didn't like it at all, though that may have been toasted sesame oil.  Anyway, I used flaxseed oil, because weirdly enough I did have some of that.  I imagine almost any seed or nut oil would work, and if all else fails, just leave it out.
• I used a small slow cooker (1 qt) and this cooked quickly.  I used chicken breasts, but next time will use thighs as the breats were just slightly tough.

I'm back!  In the time since my last post, we added to the family and are adjusting to life with Baby G.  What a wild ride!  

I am really excited to share this recipe with you because it's SO GOOD.  If you make this cake and don't eat it all yourself, you will look like a rock star in the kitchen, and hey, even if you do eat it all yourself, you'll at least know you're a rock star.



This cake is perfect for this time of year- it's light, lemony, creamy, and just all around dreamy.  The filling seriously could be as light as a cloud, if they were made of cheese.  It's pretty in its simplicity.  No need to break out piping bags or even icing spatulas.

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My go-to salsa during winter when fresh tomatoes aren't available is the Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.  It has an impressive flavor and is quick and easy to boot.  I've made it dozens of times, and each time there's just never enough, even though it makes a ton.

I can't remember if this salsa remix was born out of the desire to experiment or just because I didn't have plain tomatoes, but a couple weeks ago I decided to try making the salsa with fire roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones.  This discovery has to rank right up there with sliced bread.  It's more complex- slightly smoky, spicy, and the flavor just feels...deeper.  It's so good!

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Y'all, I have had this recipe in the stack for almost seven years.  It was way past time to try this one out, and now that I did, I know I'll be going back again and again.  This baked ziti is easy, quick, and tasty, and has a big bonus: the leftovers stay moist and well sauced, which as you may know, is a hazard with baked pasta dishes.  Both Drew and I really enjoyed this.  Drew even said it may be the best he's had, which is saying a lot, because he used to live in Upstate New York, where there's a lot of Italian influence.

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With the country standing at the cusp of grilling season (sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?), this dish is one you'll want to make again and again.  It's one of those recipes that you unfortunately won't have a lot of leftovers if you take it to a potluck and one that almost everyone will ask for the recipe.

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A while back, Drew and I decided we should try to be champions of the slow cooker.  We're not quite there yet, but we're working on it.  This recipe for slow cooker turkey meatloaf will definitely be one we will make again.  Thanks to friends Charlotte and Amanda for giving me the recipe!

I'll be up front that at first I wasn't sure about this meatloaf.  I didn't love it at first bite.  I didn't really know what I thought, but as I ate on it a little more, I really started to like it.  It feels lighter and healthier than a lot of meat dishes.  I really enjoyed the vegetables flecked through the meatloaf.  One thing that I think is a real key in liking any healthy food makeover is not expecting it to taste like the regular version of itself.  Just be open to it tasting like its own thing.  Turkey will never be beef, spaghetti squash will never be spaghetti.  Amen.

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This frosting.  Oh, this frosting.  If you're below the age of 40, you know it well.  It adorned at least half the cupcakes you ate as a child, and I have also been known to eat it as a dip with graham crackers.  So creamy, so tasty.  So discontinued.  A generation mourns.  There are imitators out there, but it's just not the same.

Until now, when it gets better.  I found this recipe for a homemade version on Pinterest, and it really does have the taste and close to the texture of the original.  Unfortunately, no homemade frosting will ever perfectly mimic the texture of canned frosting because it's more of a science project than food, and all those hydrogenated oils, syrups, and shelf stabilizers give it the texture we know (and many of us, like me, prefer).  This recipe, though, with its cream cheese icing base, comes pretty close to being that creamy, sort of light, spreadable frosting texture.  The flavor of this frosting is amazing, and since you make it, you of course get to play with how it tastes.

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Last weekend I made this dish for dinner and wanted to tell you about it.  This sweet and sour chicken was so good!



Earlier on, I needed some meal inspiration.  I wanted to make something a little different, but still fairly healthy, and since Aldi had pineapples for $1 and I had a ripening one on my counter I wanted to use, I searched my Pinterest board of food to try and this one jumped out at me.  It was so pretty!  It uses pineapple!  It's baked!

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This one may seem a little strange at the outset, but don't write it off just yet.  I decided to try it just because the picture was so pretty.  

What I came up with satisfies my coconut AND chocolate cravings.  I think I have a little work to do on the texture, but overall I am pleased.  They freeze and reheat well, so you can make up a batch and save some for later.

Chocolate Chip-Coconut Scones
A Lauren original, inspired by Heather's Dish and Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tb butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
3 Tb coconut oil, chilled, broken or cut into small pieces and put back in fridge to chill
3/4 cup canned coconut milk, with the chunks
3/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Cut the butter and coconut oil into the flour mixture (usig a pastry blender, two forks, or even your fingers) until you have a mixure that looks like coarse meal or sand, with a few larger (pea sized) pieces of fat still visible.  With a fork, stir in the coconut milk.  If it looks too dry, add more milk 1 Tb at a time.   Gently stir in the toasted coconut and chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut into 6 wedges and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with some of the remaining coconut milk if desired. Bake until golden, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.

Few things are as appealing to a child as the chicken nugget, am I right?  Usually even the pickiest eater will go for the chicken nugget.  Even though I don't remember being a very picky eater as a child, these still ranked at the top of my food list, and they still hold a special place in my food-heart.  All partiality aside, these are really good chicken nuggets.  I give them my highest "MAKE THESE" recommendation, whether you're feeding a family or need a party finger food.  I'll give my tips for dressing these up in the recipe.

My Mom's Chicken Nuggets
feeds 4 a meal sized portion or more for appetizer portions

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried basil
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 400.  Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and herbs.  Dip chicken into the butter and roll in the crumb mixture.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, rotating the chicken about halfway through.

If you want to jazz it up a little, sub in some freshly grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano (or any other hard Italian cheese) or replace some of the breadcrumbs with panko breadcrumbs that have been crushed up a little.

Notes

• Italian Seasoning also works very well in place of the two herbs and adds a little more variety.  It's all about using what you have in your pantry.