Cherry Chocolate Scones with Almond Glaze

I've never made scones before and found them a little intimidating. I've red many recipes that said you needed a special attachment for your mixer or had to cut the butter in a specific way. This made me nervous, so I kind of avoided scone recipes before. However, I recently read a version that used a cheese grater to cut the frozen butter, and I thought I would give it a shot. I recently bought some delicious sweet black cherries and thought they would be great combined with some chocolate chunks I had in my pantry. I finished it off with a delicious almond glaze. I wish I would have made scones sooner, because they were actually really easy to pull off! Mine didn't turn out that pretty, but they tasted good! I'll definitely be experimenting with different combinations in the future. Enjoy! 

Cherry Chocolate Scones with Almond Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, frozen

1/2 cup fresh (or frozen and de-thawed) black cherries, pitted and quartered

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Dannon Light and Fit)

1 large egg

For glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3-4 tsp. non-fat milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. 

3. Grate butter with large holed cheese grater. Use fingers to mix butter in with flour mixture until coarse crumbly texture is reached. Gently stir in cherries and chocolate. 

4. In separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and egg until smooth. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Press the dough into a ball. 

5. Transfer dough ball onto lightly floured wax paper and pat into a circle about 8 inches thick. Cut dough into 8 equal triangles using a knife. 

6. Place triangles onto greased cookie sheet and bake 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. 

7. While scones are baking, combine powdered sugar, almond extract and milk in mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and desired consistency is reached. Allow scones to cool 5-10 minutes before applying glaze. Enjoy! 

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

Crockpot recipes are the best. You can put your food in the slow cooker, leave, and come home to an amazing smelling house and a delicious meal. I especially love this recipe because it takes about 5 minutes to prepare and makes enough food for a few meals. My boyfriend and I like to enjoy this chicken straight out of the crockpot with mashed potatoes. I've also used the leftovers to make toppings for sandwiches, salads, and pizzas! This recipe has definitely made its way into our regular rotation because of its versatility and ease. I hope you love this chicken as much as I do!

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 4-6 lbs.

1 tbsp fresh minced garlic

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp steak seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Remove chicken from packaging. Remove any innards from inside chicken. Rinse outside and cavity of bird, then pat dry.

2. Season chicken by spreading the spices evenly across the skin and inside with your hands.

3. Crumple up sheets of aluminum foil into four ping pong size balls and set in bottom of slow cooker. Place chicken on top of aluminum foil. 

4. Turn slow cooker on high and cook for 4-4 1/2 hours. Make sure chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Optional: Use juices at bottom of slow cooker to make gravy and enjoy!

Blood Orange Mojitos

The other day I was shopping at Whole Foods and I saw that they were having a sale on oranges. I had no idea that I was buying blood oranges! As soon as I cut the first one open, I know I wanted to try my hand at making my own blood orange simple syrup. This easy recipe is perfect in alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks alike. And my personal favorite cocktail is the Mojito, so of course I had to make a version with my new syrup! Cheers!

Blood Orange Mojitos

Ingredients:

8 mint leaves

1/2 lime, cubed

Ice

2 oz. blood orange simple syrup

2 oz. Bacardi silver rum

4 oz. club soda

Additional lime/blood orange segments for garnish

Directions:

1. Place mint and limes bottom of glass and muddle about 5 times. 

2. Fill glass with ice, add syrup and rum and shake well in cocktail shaker. 

3. Pour back in to glass and top with club soda and garnish. Enjoy!

Blood Orange Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 blood oranges

Zest of 1 blood orange

Peel of 1 blood orange

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan and bring to boil, stirring often. Boil until all sugar has dissolved. 

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain through fine mesh strainer into jar or bottle. 

3. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Bang Bang Chicken Wings

Recipe coming soon!

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Slow cooker meals are the best. You can spend about 10 minutes prepping, turn that sucker on and leave the apartment and then come back to a delicious meal. I think I found a winner with recipe. It's super simple, makes a great meal, plus there's always tons of leftovers for sandwiches! And the best part is that it's easy enough for my boyfriend to put together too! Bonus! 

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 bag potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup water

Raw pork roast

1/4 cup of your favorite dry rub (I love "Brisket of Love" from the www.thespicehouse.com) 

For gravy:

2 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. flour

Directions:

1. Line bottom of slow cooker with chopped onions. Place potatoes on top of onions. Pour in water. 

2. Coat roast throughly with your favorite rub, covering all sides. Place on top of potatoes. 

3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours in slow cooker. 

4. To make gravy, combine flour and water to make a roux. Strain drippings in to saucepan, removing any meat or vegetables. Bring drippings to a boil and gradually add roux until desired thickness is obtained, stirring constantly. Remove gravy from heat and spoon over meat and potatoes. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken, Cheese & Chile Taquitos

Baked Chicken, Cheese, and Chile Taquitos

Ingredients:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast filet, cooked and shredded

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 container mild diced green chiles

4 tbsp. chile flavored taco sauce (I like Frontera brand)

Non-stick spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking dish with a generous coating of non-stick spray.
2. In bowl, combine shredded chicken breast, cheese, chiles, and taco sauce. Mix until well combined.
3. Spoon mixture evenly in to 8 flour tortillas. Filling should form a thin line in the center of the tortilla. Roll up tortilla tightly and place in prepared baking dish.
4. Spray the top of uncooked taquitos with a generous coating of non-stick spray and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Tortillas should be golden brown and crispy and filling should be hot and gooey. Enjoy!

Turkey & Veggie Lasagna Soup

In the winter I can't get enough soup! Besides the fact that soup is the ultimate comfort food I also love it because it's amazing leftover. However, my picky boyfriend "doesn't really like soup." Who doesn't like soup?!? Well, I finally found out that he doesn't like brothy soups, so I had to come up with something hearty that he would enjoy. There was no way I was going to be able to finish a whole bowl of soup by myself. 

So I made a healthy spin on a classic. This recipe uses ground turkey and low fat cheeses to lighten the calories without loosing that yummy classic lasagna flavor. I also snuck in a bunch of veggies in the mix. So yummy, healthy, and perfect for a cold winter day!

Turkey and Veggie Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 lb. ground turkey breast (99% lean)

½ large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

2 tsp. fresh oregano 

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tsp. fresh rosemary

1 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 

2 tsp. salt 

8 lasagna noodles 

4 cups fresh spinach leaves

 

Cheese topping:

8 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese

½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup basil leaves, chopped

½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In large fry pan, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey and cook until fully cooked, stirring and crumbling frequently.

2. In large kettle, heat remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sautee until onion begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

3. Add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, zucchini, squash, and all spices. Mix, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes.

4. For cheese topping, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

5. When soup is fully cooked, add the lasagna noodles to the soup. Cut them into bite-sized pieces if you'd like. Cook 9-12 minutes or until noodles are soft. Add the spinach and warm until wilted then ladle into soup bowls and top with a dollop of the ricotta cheese topping. Enjoy!

Maple & Brown Sugar Oat Muffins

Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

3 medium over-ripe bananas, peeled

2 tbsp. butter, melted

2 large eggs

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup white whole wheat flour

¾ cup old fashioned oats

¾ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

 

For Brown Sugar Crumble:

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup flour

2 tbsp. butter, melted

 

For maple glaze:

2 tbsp. butter, melted

¼ cup pure maple syrup 

½ cup powdered sugar 

½ tsp. vanilla extract

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. In large mixing bowl mash bananas. Add butter, eggs, sugar, syrup, and vanilla. Stir until well-combined.   

3. In separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Wisk together until incorporated.

4. Gradually add ¼ of dry ingredients at a time to wet ingredients, mixing until combined each time. 

5. In separate bowl, combine sugar, flour and butter for crumble topping. Mix with hands until desired consistency is reached.

6. Pour batter evenly in to greased muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Sprinkle evenly with crumble topping.

7. Bake muffins at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

8. While muffins are baking, make glaze by combining butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until completely dissolved. Sift in powdered sugar and whisk until fully combined. Allow glaze to cool a bit so that it can thicken up (about 8-10 minutes). Give the glaze a quick stir and pour over the banana bread. Allow the glaze to harden before enjoying muffins!

Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce

Applesauce makes a great breakfast or snack! And this recipe is completely natural with no sugar added! Tip: use applesauce in baking to add moisture instead of butter or oils.

Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

1 bag apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 cup water

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place prepared apples in saucepan and add water. Cover and cook on medium heat 30-45 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring about every 10 minutes. 

2. For chunkier consistency, use a potato masher and mash apples to desired consistency. For smoother consistency, use immersion blender or food processor. 

3. Add cinnamon and lemon juice. Enjoy hot and fresh or refrigerate and keep up to 1 week. 

Skinny Chicken Parm with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Skinny Chicken Parm with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Recipe coming soon!