"Gourmet" Grilled Cheese

Pay day never seems to come fast enough. I'm sure many of you can relate to the struggling of trying to meal plan with little more than a 1/4 gallon of milk and a few drumsticks left til Thursday. This time around lunch was more of a "Chopped" episode than anything else! Between Kevin and I, and quite a bit of brainstorming, we ended up creating one of the most delicious grilled cheese sandwiches I think I've ever had.

We started off with frying up a few pieces of bacon that we had just acquired from Kevin's mom the previous night, what great timing! Then came the last bits of a loaf of white bread and some butter. Next was figuring out white cheese to use. I found the other half of a pepper-jack block we had used the last time we made grilled cheese, but no american or provolone slices... I then saw in the depths of the fridge the wheel of store brand "laughing cow" garlic and herb cheese wedges. As fate would have it, there were two wedges left! Perfect! 

Now came time to assemble. First went on the wedges, but not like I imagined it. I was hoping to spread those wedges beautifully across each slice of bread, but no, that was not gonna happen. So instead I chopped them into tiny pieces and sprinkled them across the pieces. Good enough! Next I sliced  up the remaining pepper-jack cheese and layered that on. Lastly was the bacon that we precooked. Kevin decided to also put the leftover pork chop we had for dinner last night on his sandwich too, yum! With the other slice of white bread laid on top, into the pan to cook they went! 

Look at these beauties! 

These were seriously some of the most delicious grilled cheeses I think I've ever had. Paired with some noodle soup it made the perfect lunch on a chilly fall afternoon. What other fillings would you suggest? Be adventurous with cheeses and other toppings to make different combos of yummy grilled cheeses!

Poor Man's Chili

Tonight was pumpkin carving night in our house! I love everything about fall, but pumpkin carving has to definitely be one of the top things! Needless to say, it took us a while to finish them so it was a crockpot kind of night. 

I ended up literally going through my freezer/pantry and throwing in a few random ingredients that seemed like they would possibly taste good together. Well luckily for Kevin and I, it came out delicious!  We decided it was more of a chili than anything else, so I have Kevin run out and grab some cornbread.

My Pumpkin on the left, and Kevin and Brooke's pumpkin on the right!

I call this recipe "Poor Man's Chili" because most people will have pretty much all of these ingredients on hand on any given night. 

All I did was throw a package of frozen hamburger in along with all the ingredients and let it cook on HI for about 5 hours. It's not pictures, but I also added a can of premade chili with beans to the crockpot. You know, the kind that you put on nachos or chili-cheese dogs. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the finished product because it was all gone before I got the chance! ;) Like I said before, I had no idea what I was trying to create. I originally thought it would come out more like taco meat...hence the tortillas that we didn't end up using.

All ingredients ready to get cooking!

Poor Man's Chili

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 package ground hamburger (about 2 pounds)

1 can of diced green chilies

1 8.75oz can of corn

1 package of taco seasoning mix

1 jar of salsa

1 can of chili with beans'

Directions

Add all ingredients to crockpot. 

Cook on HI for 4-6 hours depending on if your hamburger is frozen or not. Stir occasionally. 

I recommend serving with cheese and corn bread.

S'mores Dip

Tonight was movie night in our house! HBO had just put up American Sniper, which Kevin had yet to see, and I was more than happy to watch over and over. I'm not usually the type to re-watch movies over and over, I just get bored. But this movie is definitely in the top of my favorites list. We both had a sweet tooth, and Kevin had the idea of making a recipe we had seen on Pinterest recently. Off to the pantry we went!

 

This S'mores dip was to die for! So simple and delicious. It could easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd. I think I may just use it for our Halloween party! 

Start out with a glass or ceramic pie dish. I'm sure a metal pan would work, but it may burn the chocolate if you're not careful and it won't look as pretty... 

Layer a thick layer of chocolate chips on the bottom of the pan, no Pam needed if using a glass or ceramic dish. Any kind of chocolate chips will work. Semi-sweet, milk, dark, whatever your heart and sweet tooth desire. Then place on a single layer of marshmallows, feel free to pack them in!

Now pop them in the oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes is all you need if the oven is pre-heated! The marshmallows come out all brown and toasty and the chocolate is perfectly melted. We used graham crackers to dip, but you can use whatever you'd like, possibly some pretzels?

Look at all that melty goodness!!!!

'

Sriracha Bacon Rings

Dinner was a fun one tonight! I love when Kevin comes out with an idea once in a while, and BONUS, this time he made it! He saw a video on Facebook and decided that he wanted to make it for me. Sounds good to me any night! These bacon wrapped sriracha onion rings were delicious and certainly hit the spot.

 First, start by grabbing a large onion. This recipe will feed 2 people, use more onions for more people! I went with a vidalia onion because there were some pretty big ones this time around. Cut it up into slices a little thicker than onion rings would be cut. This allows them to hold up a bit better with the bacon wrapped around them. We decided to chop and saute up the rest of onion innards for a topping for our burgers we made.

We didn't use all the bacon! We had about 3-4 slices left that I cooked for burger toppings!

Next up, it's time to coat the slices with some heat. We actually used Frank's Hot Sauce this time around because I wasn't sure if I even liked sriracha... Try either putting some in a bowl and moving them around to coat like we did, or maybe brush the sauce right on. Once all the slices are coated, it's time to wrap the bacon around. There is not real trick to this, it's just a little messy. Start at one end, and wrap around until you run out of bacon. I would not recommend squishing too much bacon onto one slice as it will not fully cook. As you can see in the picture below, there was some spacing between the wrapping. Then stick a skewer through 2 rings so they hold their shape better while cooking.

Now it's time to pop them in the oven. 400 degrees for 40 minutes, on a cooking sheet coated with foil and cooking spray will do the trick. Trust me, you'll need the full 40 minutes. I didn't believe it at first, so I only put them on for 20, but they were even close to being done...so back in they went.

They may take a little finagling to get them off the foil!

While the rings were cooking, I prepped a dipping sauce. I used equal parts sriracha and mayo, with a splash of lemon juice. It was a delicious, creamy accompaniment for them. Yum!

Yummy dipped sauce! BRING ON THE BACON!

These rings would likely be equally as amazing over a grill. Just make sure to adjust cooking times, as they will probably vary.

Art on the Rocks Paint Night

This week I decided to treat myself a bit and finally take one of those awesome sounding Paint Nights. You know...the ones you can bring your own booze?! Well, let me tell you! This was one of the best ideas my friend and I have had in a long time! It was so much fun and took up pretty much the whole night...well at least from 7-10...with a few 5 minute breaks to give our bums a break from sitting too long.

Left: Stacey's she did right along with us,  Right: Original, helped us get the "big picture"

Anyways...my friend invited earlier in the month to me go, and of course I agreed! I looked through the calendar of scheduled paintings and I fell in love with the one we decided to do. It was a scarecrow with a small pumpkin and stalk. Perfect timing for my obsession for decorating for the fall season!

Our starting canvas, who knew it'd look so beautiful after!

The instructor, Stacey, was one the coolest, sweetest people I've met in a while. She was so easy going and even shared a drink with us which made the night even more fun! She had our canvas' and paint set up for us before we even got there. Once we introduced ourselves and cracked open our first drink we got down to business.

Basics shapes are done, time for a break to let the paint dry!

Stacey truly was an amazing teacher. Her patience amazed me because at times even I couldn't handle my pickiness! I kept having to tell myself that it was a painting being made by a girl who cannot paint (myself)! Repeat it with me now, "It's Just Paint!" She took us literally step by step, even instructing what paint brush to use and why. By the end of the session I felt like I could take on painting anything! Good thing I didn't try though, it wouldn't have been pretty...

Almost done, time for the little details to pull it together!

The end results were amazing and I can't wait to hang my new artwork up on our blank wall in the apartment. I definitely plan on making one for each month. But who am I kidding, I'll probably get around to doing it again next season, which is totally fine too. ;-)

The beautiful end results! We all LOVED Stacey's angry eyebrows  >:-)

There are three local shops she has set up and multiple pieces of art work that change every month.The classes range from $25-40 depending on if you catch the coupons that occasionally come out, and they usually start around 7 pm with sporadic nights. You could even set up a private party if you wanted to. I may suggest it as a team building night for my office! Feel free to take a peek at the site, or shoot Stacey an email to set up a private party. If you or someone you think would enjoy this lives in the area, PLEASE check this place out!  I promise, you won't be disappointed! 

The Worcester Studio, gotta love the artwork on the walls!

https://artontherocksma.com/

email@artontherocksma.com

Dutch Apple Pie

Apple picking season is upon us at last! I have enjoyed making many different desserts the past weekend with all of our delicious apples we picked on our outing to Tougas Farm. These apples made the perfect base for some delicious treats. This apple pie recipe I found off of Pinterest was to die for! I can definitely say I found a new favorite recipe.

Start out with 6 medium apples, a variety makes for a more complex taste! I used 7 apples for this recipe since most of our Courtland apples were easily twice the size of normal apples but our Galas were very small! I was able to make 3 mini pies and 1 large pie from this single recipe.

Look at that huge guy at the top! Yum!

 Next, gather the rest of the ingredients and mix as stated in the directions below.

The cider vinegar may seem like a weird addition, but I honestly believe that was the secret ingredient that made this pie so juicy and delicious!!

The crumb topping was absolutely delicious! But unless you like alot of topping, I wouldn't recommend using all of it. There was alot that blew right off the second I moved it around.

These mini apple pies were perfect for Kevin to take to work with him, or for us to split after dinner. And the large pie was just as delicious. I will probably either cook the pie crust a few minutes before adding the apples next time, or just make my own. The store bought crust didn't match the awesomeness of the filling!

A little too much crumb topping, still yummy!

Cut apple pieces smaller for smaller pies! The texture is better that way!

What are some of your favorite fall treats? Are the sweet or savory? Please feel free to send me links of recipes so I can try them soon!

Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients

One store  bought pie crust

Filling:

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
3 lbs Granny Smith Apples (about 6 medium)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Struesel:
1 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Uncooked Oats (not instant)
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
6 tbsp cold Butter, cut into small pieces 

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine dry struesel ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Add cold butter, work with a pastry cutter until dry mixture is fully incorporated and crumble so pieces are no larger than pea sized. You may want to use your hands for this part like I did, it was much easier! Refrigerate until needed.
5. Roll out thawed pie crust and place in pie pan. *Be sure to leave store bough pie crusts out for at least 20 minutes to let them thaw and make it easier to unroll without cracking!
6. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch any spillover during baking and place in bottom third of oven.
8. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, flour and spices and mix well. Core, peel and slice apples into 1/4″ or less slices. Add apples and vinegar to bowl and toss to coat.
11. Put apples in crust and dot top with pieces of butter. Bake for 20 minutes.
13. Remove from oven and top pie with struesel mixture.
14. Reduce temperature to 375 return pie to oven to cook for about 50 minutes more (when crust is golden and filling is bubbling). *If struesel begins to get too brown, cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
15. Let cool for 30 minutes, serve with ice cream or milk!

Apple Picking at Tougas Farm

Hooray!! Fall season is finally upon us! This is the time of year that I get itchy to do all those fun cliche things that come with fall. Pumpkin carving, crockpot meals, bonfires, prepping for Halloween, etc. Heck, I am a typical New England girl after all... 

One of my favorite activities that comes with Fall is apple picking. I have been to a few different orchards in the past, but since I have moved, Kevin and I decided to try out a new one. A coworker of mine has told me nothing but wonderful things about this orchard, so we gave it a try! We dressed in comfy clothes and sneakers, a MUST for apple picking (definitely don't want any rolled ankles...), and headed out the door! 

Tougas Farm is located in Northboro Massachusetts, right off of Rt 290. They are open throughout the summer and fall with different fruits to pick through the seasons.

A sign on one of the buildings indicating when picking seasons are.

I wanted to pick pumpkins as well today, but Kevin said no, and promised me a later visit to pick some up. I sadly agreed and we went on our way to the line to pick out our bag. They take cash or credit and have two different sizes; a 10lb and 20lb bag.

We chose the bigger bag for $36 that held~20lbs of apples. The bag may not look too big when initially holding it, but boy does it hold alot! Kevin sure got a good workout between balancing the apple bag and Brooke's hand! :-)

Such goofballs...Gotta love them!

We picked 3 different kinds this time around, but throughout the season Tougas has over 20 different types of apples to pick from! We chose to stick with McIntosh, Courtland, and Gala apples. The Courtland and Gala are great for baking, and McIntosh are our favorite for munching with my homemade yogurt/peanut butter dip!

After our picking fun we headed back to the car to drop off the apples and strolled back through the farm. There was a store with homemade items such as desserts, jams, and relishes. We chose to each grab a small apple cider and a bag of apple cider donuts. Holy Delicious! We enjoyed our cider and donuts at one of the many picnic tables before strolling around to take some cute pictures! 

Enjoying our Apple Cider and donuts

Our last stop was at the East Coast Kettle Corn stand. I have never had such incredibly tasty kettlecorn other than the stuff I make at home. It has such a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. Yum! Between Brooke and I, I have a feeling this bag wont last us too long.

We had a huge haul this time around! Some of the Courtlands were the size of small cantaloupes!!

Courtland, Kevin's IPhone for size reference!

McIntosh

Gala

Stay tuned for all of the apple recipes I will be posting soon! Poor Kevin will be so sick of peeling and cutting up those apples with me! ;-)

Overall, we had a blast at Tougas Farm! There is so much to do for the whole family! I look forward to coming back for one more round of apple picking and a trip to the pumpkin patch before the season is over! 

Some of the pumpkins in the middle of all the action.

'

Check out the Tougas Farm site for yourself to see what fun you and your family can have!

http://www.tougasfarm.com/index.html

Do you have a favorite apple or pumpkin patch? Leave me a comment below, I would love to try them all out eventually!

Honey Chipotle Chicken

I found this next recipe on Pinterest in an attempt to find an quick and simple chicken recipe. It is now a favorite in my household and has become a staple in my pantry. Thankfully I usually have most of the ingredients on hand except for the chili's. 

This chicken is a little sweet yet still has a nice bite to it from the hot sauce. It was said to have been an inspiration from a trip to Chili's from the previous blogger, but I honestly think this recipe tops those chicken crispers! Try them out and let me know what y'all think!

First start with cutting up some chicken breasts, coat with flour, then egg wash, and finish with panko bread crumbs. I have made this chicken a few times, and once I only had a little bit of panko breadcrumbs so I added 1/2 cup of regular plain breadcrumbs to stretch it and no one knew any different! Cook for 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees. Be sure to flip the chicken halfway through cooking to ensure adequate crispy goodness! :-)

Finished chicken, note the perfect brown color!

Then mix together and bring to a boil all ingredients but the corn starch and water to a pan to create the sauce that will coat the chicken once done cooking. Yes, there will be solid chipotle peppers in the sauce floating around. Don't take them out though! That's were all the flavor comes from! Add the corn starch/water mix once the mix comes to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

The perfected dipping sauce!

Coat the pieces of chicken one at a time to ensure each piece being fully coated. Serve up with your favorite side dishes. We used a can of peas and some leftovers mashed potatoes we had from the previous night. Yummo!

For all of those who don't know what chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce looks like, like me, this is a picture! It's a small can that can be found in the Latino section of most grocery stores. My local Shaw's didn't' have any but the Walmart and Hannaford's close by did, so don't give up hope if you don't' find it right away.

Hard to find but delicious ingredient for the sauce!

Honey Chipotle Chicken

INGREDIENTS

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to ½ inch thickness and sliced into strips

1 cup flour

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2-3 eggs, lightly whisked

⅓ cup honey

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce 

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Franks, I think it has much more flavor than Tabasco)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon white vinegar

⅓ cup cold water + 2 tablespoons corn starch

optional but recommended: ranch dressing for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray. 

2. Whisk together flour, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Place bread crumbs in a second bowl, and eggs in a third bowl. Dip chicken into flour and turn to coat. Next, dip chicken into egg, turning to coat, and lastly into panko bread crumbs, tossing to coat well. Place coated chicken strips in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. 

3. Bake 8-10 minutes, then flip strips over and bake another 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

4. While the chicken strips are baking, prepare the sauce. Add all ingredients except for water and corn starch to a large sauce pan and bring to a gently boil, whisking throughout. 

5. Whisk together cold water and corn starch until corn starch is dissolved. When sauce reaches a boil, add corn starch-water mixture and stir until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low.

6. When chicken strips are finished baking, dip chicken strips in sauce, tossing to coat. Serve warm with ranch dressing for dipping if desired.

Chocolaty Perfection Milkshakes

Sometimes you just want something sweet to end the day just right. Well this time around, chocolate milkshakes did the trick!

This is a super simple recipe that is very easy to adjust to taste and double batches. It doesn't need much explanation since it is so simple to make!

The combination of chocolate and vanilla ice cream give a break from the super chocolaty flavor. The banana I added was the perfect addition to make it "healthier" and to stretch the recipe a little further. 

Of course, I had to make the glasses all fancy with a drizzle of the chocolate syrup all around the glass. 

This is the perfect ending to any day, or addition to any sleepover or party! :-)

Chocolaty Perfection Milkshakes

Makes approximately 2 milkshakes ,or 3 in small glasses

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate ice cream

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Optional: chocolate syrup for glasses, whipped cream, sprinkles

Directions:

1.Blend together all ingredients, adjust milk/ice cream ratio as needed to get the perfect consistency.

2. Add chocolate syrup to glasses for "fancy" effect. Pour milkshake into glasses. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles!

Chewy Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whenever the temperature outside starts to dip, signaling either a change in the seasons or an incoming storm, I get the itch to bake. I'm not sure if its the fact that I can actually be comfortable and not sweat absurd amounts while in the kitchen, or if my inner homemaker starts to peak through. 

Either way, I crank up the oven and try out a new recipe. This weeks winner was a Chewy Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie recipe I've been dying to try. Something about the combination of chewy and chocolaty is always eye-catching to me. These were even more appealing because I have a soft spot for banana bread, so the combination of bananas and cookies was just too good to pass up.

I definitely recommend following these directions very carefully, because I almost didn't notice that I needed to refrigerate them before baking (shocking I know...) and I nearly ended up with one huge cookie due to settling!

They were absolutely delicious! I would recommend trying a smaller ball of dough when initially refrigerating, or you will end up with HUGE cookies like we did. While delicious, there just weren't as many cookies as I would have liked to have from one batch. Another way would be to separate as shown in the picture below before refrigerating, then cutting those mounds in half before cooking. 

Pre-refrigerated dough ready for the fridge

The other lovely thing about this recipe is it would be super easy to tweak and add almost anything you wanted to the cookie base before baking! Yum!!!

Finished products, DELISH!

Chewy Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large egg
• 2 small/medium or 1 extra-large ripe bananas (about 1/2 heaping cup mashed banana)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats ***not instant or quick-cook because they act more like flour and aren't suitable here
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon, added to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of any other add-ins you want, I added Health Bar bits this time around 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the egg, bananas, sugars, butter, vanilla, in a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until well combined. The mixture won't be smooth, fluffy, or 'creamed' like traditional cookie dough and will have small chunks of bananas present and it's on the runnier side.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until combined.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and add the chocolate chips and other add-ins you choose, and beat on low speed until just combined.
4. Using a large cookie scoop or a 1/4-cup measure, or your hands (I ended up just using my hands for this part), form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough. 
5. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. This is a wetter, looser dough and isn't suitable for baking until it's been chilled. DO NOT bake with un-chilled dough because cookies will be more prone to spreading while cooking. 
6. Preheat oven to 350F, spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart and bake for about 13 minutes (for very soft cookies, or longer for more well-done cookies), or until edges have set and tops are just set, don't over bake! Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. Let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack or they will fall apart while cooling.
7. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Makes about 14 large cookies. Use a smaller scoop for more, smaller cookies. Or separate the refrigerated cookies in half before baking.