I made this recipe for the first time just a couple of weeks ago and it was a huge hit at a little football party I went to. These are simple to make and soooo good. Men may propose marriage to you though, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Oh my, look at this bad boy…screw kale chips.

Is your mouth watering yet?

RECIPE: Game Day Sliders

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 block (8 ounce) cheddar cheese

1 package,  Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon garlic power

1 package (12 count) mini hamburger/slider buns

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shred 1/2 block of the cheddar cheese (should yield about 1 cup). Slice the other half of the cheese block into 12 thin slices and wrap in saran wrap and put back in refrigerator.

2. In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, 1 cup shredded cheese, onion soup mix, mayonnaise, and garlic powder.

3. Press/flatten hamburger into a 9×13 pan to form a thin layer (about 1/4 thick). Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

4. Remove from oven and cut hamburger into 12 squares with a pizza cutter or knife. Top with slices of cheese and then place on buns.

5. I individually wrapped the buns in foil and then baked another 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese. They worked perfect for the party because the foil kept them warm. However, to save time, you can just put the buns in a large pan and cover with foil and bake as well.

Serve with pickles (optional).

For a spicy alternative, substitute pepper jack cheese for the cheddar cheese and add one finely chopped jalapeno to the hamburger mixture. Mmmm. Sooo delicious.

Notes:

1. If you want to save calories, you can skip the addition of the cheese slices.  I happen to love cheese but they still taste wonderful without the cheese slices.

2. If you can’t find mini hamburger/slider buns, you can also use hot dog buns (cut in half or thirds), hawaiian rolls, or dinner rolls. If you use the rolls or cut the hot dog buns into thirds, they are smaller and will typically yield closer to 24 sliders so you will want to cut your hamburger into smaller pieces.

No, in all seriousness…..I stumbled across a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine a few months ago about baked kale. I was amazed by the fact that kale could apparently bake up super crispy and I thought “I have got to try this!”  Plus, kale is loaded with calcium, Vitamin K, magnesium, beta carotene, and folic acid. It’s really, really good for you. It is. So, I thought, why not? It’s worth a try. Let’s do this.

RECIPE: Baked Kale Chips

So here goes, the ingredients are simple:

A bunch of kale

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Sea Salt

That’s all! I used a bought a big bag of pre-chopped kale like this, which made this recipe very easy.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss about 4 cups chopped kale with 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread out evenly on a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake 10-15 minutes.

A few important notes:

1. Use caution when salting because the kale shrinks when cooking and you run the risk of it being too salty. I used only about 1 teaspoon of sea salt.

2. Cook the kale until crispy and the tips are just starting to lightly brown. If you overcook the kale, it will taste burnt.

3. If you wash and chop a fresh bunch of kale, make sure to dry the kale with paper towels. If the kale is wet, it will cause it to steam in the oven and you will have soft, wilted kale versus crispy, delicate kale.

So, how do they taste? Well, they were very, very crispy. I was amazed at how crispy and thought that was very cool. When researching baked kale recipes on the internet, I saw so many people saying how wonderful and good and addictive they were. I’m not sure I’d go that far. I’ll be honest, they have a slightly bitter aftertaste….but kale is a somewhat bitter green so that’s to be expected. And it tastes similar to broccoli. I happen to love broccoli so that was fine with me. However, if you don’t like broccoli, you probably will not like these broccoli tasting potato chip like thingies. Overall, they were easy to make, tasted decent, and are so healthy that I suppose I can occasionally substitute my favorite Salt N’ Vinegar chips with them.

Feel free to season them up how you want. Play around a little! Add some pepper, garlic powder, or seasoned salt instead of sea salt. Or toss with some Tabasco and sprinkle with cayenne and red pepper flakes for spicy chips. I also tossed one batch of mine with a little soy sauce which gave them a nice, salty Asian flare.  You’ve got to try them at least once. Come on!

Seriously, their burritos are……. EPIC.

Best. Fast. Food. Invention. Ever.  

Ahhh, the flour tortillas, the cilantro lime rice, and the options…lordy be, there are so many options…….fajita vegetables, black beans, or pinto beans? Carnitas, barbacoa or adobo marinated chicken or steak?  Fresh tomato, roasted chili-corn, tomatillo-green, or tomatillo-red salsa? Then the other heavenly options of velvety smooth sour cream, cheese (my favorite food group), guacamole, chopped romaine lettuce…..oh, me oh my, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I remember feeling so overwhelmed the first time I went to Chipotle and thinking holy batman, I don’t know what I want…so many decisions. Eek….eeeek….hurry…..there are people behind you. I felt so rushed. However, after several visits….I landed on my personal favorite combination:

Rice, black beans, chicken, red-tomatillo sauce (extra please…don’t be afraid…..that’s not enough….I’m a girl but not a spice wimp chica….yes, a little more….thank you), sour cream (oooh, that was a little too much….oh well), and cheese (more more more more…..).

So, the other day,  I was on a cold, wintry, early morning walk and all I could keep thinking about was devouring a Chipotle burrito (roar…that’s the sound my hungry stomach makes)….as a reward for my walk. I deserve it. Right? I know, I know, it kind of (okay, 100%) defeats the purpose of the walk……. zip it. We won’t go there. Anyway, I got the grand idea that I was going to try and re-create making Chipotle burritos at home. I know, impossible you say. However, impossible is not in my vocabulary and I love a good challenge. Therefore……

I immediately started researching Chipotle recipes on the internet. To be honest, for once, I have to say the internet let me down a bit……where is the perfect Chipotle copycat recipe?!  Ag! I then found a website called Chipotle Fan.com and I poured through their recipes.  I ended up using their chicken recipe but ad-libbed a bit on the other stuff. I must say it came pretty darn close. My daughter said “wow, mom, these are really good.” That translates to “kick @ss good” in case you are wondering. I mean who am I kidding to think I can do better than Chipotle….I can’t…..but I must admit they turned out very, very good….and….. because I’m the nice, sweet, and kind person that I am, I decided to share this with you. Yes, you are welcome.

Here we go:

RECIPE: Chipotle Chicken Burritos

First, the chicken (note, it is best made the day before and marinated overnight….oh yes, let those flavors ooze themselves into the chicken I say):

Chicken Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 serrano peppers, stems removed

1 can (7 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons fresh oregano

6 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 red onion

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Chicken Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients and puree together in a blendor or food processor. I used my favorite little Magic Bullet.

2. Place chicken and marinade in a large ziploc bag overnight. Note: I pierced the chicen all over with a fork.

3. Then, grill the chicken until juices run clear and then the dice. Since it is winter, I used my handy George Forman grill and it turned out wonderful.

Next, we have the rice. I tried the recipe on the Chipotle fan website (with basmati rice) but found that instant rice works just as well. Save your money. Buy Minute Rice.

Rice Ingredients:

Instant Rice (made according to the package directions -stovetop)

1 lime

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

Rice Directions:

1. Cook the instant rice according to directions. Then….this is very important….place a lid on the rice for 30 minutes. DO NOT under any circumstances, remove the lid. This will help the rice steam and get nice and sticky. Got it?

2. Then stir in the cilantro, salt, and juice from one lime.

And of course, the black beans. I kept this simple as well (no need to start with dry beans):

Black Bean Ingredients:

1 teaspooon vegetable oil

1/2 red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (optional, if you are a spice wimp)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can seasoned black beans

1 teasoon cumin

Black Bean Directions:

1. Sautee the onions, jalapenos, and garlic in a pan for a few minutes until tender.

2. Add the black beans and cumin and simmer for 30 minutes. Simple as that!

Finally, the tomatillo-red sauce. The HOT sauce. I love hot. I will admit that I went crazy on this one and added all kinds of stuff but you know, I ended up getting the right consistency and a nice, flavorful, very spicy sauce…..did it taste exactly like Chipotle? No. But I came pretty close for a first try. Are you ready for this one?

Tomatillo Red Sauce (hot) Ingredients:

3 tomatillos, husked

1 jalapeno, diced in 1-inch pieces

6 serrano peppers, stems removed

4 roma tomatoes

1/2 red onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic

1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

________

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Red Tomatillo Sauce Directions:

1. Place tomatillos on baking sheet and broil for a few minutes until char spots appear.

2. Add tomatillos, jalapeno, roma tomatoes, serrano peppers, red onions, garlic cloves, and diced tomatoes to a large skillet and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes to get the flavors to develop.

3. Then, add all of the skillet ingredients plus the lime juice, salt, cayenne, sugar, and red pepper flakes to a blender and puree.

4. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.

And the final sauce result:

It looks a lot like Chipotle’s, huh? Woop woop. I was so very proud.

Then, there are the additional ingredients:

Remaining ingredients:

Flour tortillas, large

Sour Cream (optional)

Monterey Jack & White Cheddar Cheese, freshly shredded and blended together

Note: for the tortillas I put a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet and lightly browned the tortillas over mediume heat on each side and then…..started layering the ingredients…….

Oh yeah, baby. Unfortunately, I devoured it so quickly that I didn’t get a pretty picture of it stuffed and folded. Sorry.

Mmmmm. Add an ice cold Corona with a slice of lime……and you will be in Chipotle heaven bliss at home.

I hope you like!

Prepare….to lick your plate.

Oh my. I can not even begin to describe how wonderfully magical this stew tastes. Wa-wow. The recipe comes from my favorite magazine, Cook’s Illustrated. Do not let the fancy schmancy name of this recipe scare you away. It’s really a quite simple and elegant recipe. However, I was not elegant when I ate the stew. Yes, I’ll admit it. I licked my plate. Like a dog. Then I licked my plate some more. And perhaps, a small moan may have  escaped my lips as I was licking the plate. Perhaps. I will keep that little morsel of information to myself.

I made a couple itty bitty changes to the original Cook’s Illustrated recipe. I added mushrooms (I think next time I will also add some carrots) and 1 tablespoon of butter to saute them in. I also used dried thyme (instead of fresh thyme). The recipe calls for a Belgian beer or other dark beer such as Newcastle Brown Ale. I actually used Sam Adam’s Boston Lager…..and it tasted divine.

RECIPE: Carbonnade a la Flamande (Belgian Beef, Bear, and Onion Stew)

Ingredients:
3 1/2 pounds stew meat

Kosher salt, table salt and coarse ground black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 pounds yellow onions halved and aliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup low sodium beef broth

1-1/2 cups dark beer (12 ounce bottle or can)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty Dutch oven; reduce heat to medium-low. Add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and tomato paste; cook, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until onions have released some moisture, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes (note: I cooked my onions a little longer, I wanted them very soft and ). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in broths, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme, bay leaves, vinegar, browned beef with any accumulated juices, mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to full boil, stirring occasionally; cover partially, then place pot in oven. Cook until fork inserted into beef meets little resistance, about 2 to 2- 1/2 hours. (I think I cooked my stew closer to 3 hours, until meat was super tender and the sauce was well-thickened…..I also stirred it occasionally while it was in the oven).

4. Discard bay leaves. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

I served the stew over mashed potatoes. Creamy, dreamy, marvelous mashed potatoes…

Good grief. I dare you to not lick your plate.

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

3 cups low fat cottage cheese

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons green chiles

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

3 cups tomato soup

1-1/2 cups enchilada sauce, green

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups boneless skinless chicken, shredded (a store bought rotisserie chicken works great)

1-1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1-1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine egg whites, cottage cheese, and fresh parsley in a medium bowl and set aside.

3.. Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green chiles, onions, and green peppers and saute until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Then stir in tomato soup, enchilada sauce, chili power, cumin, and cayenne. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then remove from heat.

4. To assemble lasagna:

Pour half of the sauce in bottom of pan.

Top with 3 lasagna noodles, 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 of chicken, 1 cup of sauce, then 1/2 cup each of the monterey jack and cheddar cheese.

Repeat layer.

Top final layer with remaining sauce and 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses. Place dollops of sour cream on top.

Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Mmm. Some other great additions to the recipe are jalapenos and black olives……

I’m making up for my slack-off here. Two recipes in one day. Call the blog police.

RECIPE: Old World Italian Sausage Lasagna

Serves: 9

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1′/2 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed

3/4 lb. ground pork

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

15 ounces ricotta

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

12 Barilla oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles (flat, rectangled noodles, no ridges)

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and pork and cook until done. Add the crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and italian seasoning to skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 10 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, 2 T parmesan, pepper, and italian seasoning.

3.  To layer: Place 1 cup sauce in bottom of 9×13 pan. Top with 3 noodles, 3/4 cup ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup of sauce. Top with 3 more noodles. Top with 1 cup sauce and 3 more noodles. Top with remaining ricotta, 1 cup sauce, and final 3 noodles. Top with remaining sauce,  1 cup mozzarella, and sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese.

4. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Next up: Southwest Chicken Lasagna……………….

Alright, alright, alright…back to lasagna. So, this next lasagna recipe is a lighter one and a vegetarian one. ….  a la roasted vegetable lasagna. Mmmm. Roasted vegetables. We are hosting a German exchange student right now and she is a vegetarian so thankfully my carnivore self  had this in my recipe repertoire…..

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 9

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch slices

3 each zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch

3 each summer squash, sliced 1/4 inch

2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch strips

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

Kosher Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

15 ounces low-fat ricotta

2 each eggs (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1/4 cup parmesan

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Approx. 3 cups marinara sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce

9 each lasagna noodles, cooked

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

2/3 cup goats cheese

3 Tablespoons basil leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray two cookie sheets/baking pans with non-stick cooking spray. Place the eggplant slices on one prepared pan and the zucchini, squash, and red pepper on the second pan. Combine the oil and garlic and brush over both sides of vegetables. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn vegetables over. Bake 15 minutes longer. Remove eggplant. Bake zucchini, squash and red pepper about 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are browned.

2. While vegetables are roasting, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and italian seasoning.

4. To layer: Spread  1/4 cup marinara sauce in a 9×13 baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of vegetables, 1 cup of marinara sauce,  and 3/4  cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with half of basil and 1/3 cup of goats cheese. Repeat layers. Top with the 3 remaining noodles, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

5. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake approximately 10 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

I will start with a completely different spin on traditional lasagna…..a white and creamy chicken spinach lasagna. I don’t even want to know how many calories are in this baby…I just pretend it’s healthy because it has chicken and spinach in it. Oh, and this sucker takes some time….but is well worth the effort. I believe this was my very first attempt at making a white sauce all on my own that didn’t come in a bottle named Alfredo Sauce. I was so darn proud of myself. I could almost cry thinking about it. Sniff sniff.

RECIPE: Creamy Chicken Spinach Lasagna

Servings 9

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cup milk

4 cups mozzarella cheese (note: will be split, read directions carefully)

1-1/4  cup parmesan cheese (note: will be split, read directions carefully)

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

20 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

9 each lasagna noodles, cooked

1 tablespoon fresh  parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender.

2. Stir in flour and salt and simmer until bubbly.

3. Slowly mix in chicken broth and milk  stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil.

4. Add 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan and stir well until cheese is melted.

5. Stir in italian seasoning, white pepper, and cayenne. Remove from heat.

To assemble lasagna:

1. Spray 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place 1/3 cup sauce on bottom of pan.

2. Top with 3 noodles, 1 cup of ricotta, 1/2 of spinach, 1 cup of chicken, and 1 cup mozzarella.

3. Top with 3 more noodles, 1 cup of ricotta, remaining spinach, remaining chicken, 1/3 cup sauce, 1/2 cup parmesan,  1 cup mozzarella.

4. Top with 3 more noodles, and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and 1/4 cup parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

 The great thing with this recipe is you can play around with it.  Add less spinach, more chicken. Replace spinach with broccoli or zucchini. Add romano cheese or asiago cheese.  Maybe add a pinch of nutmeg to the white sauce. Have fun!

The first pretty little spring flowers poking through the dirt.  Birds tweeting in the morning. Thunderstorms. The fresh smell of rain. Daisies. Open windows, blowing curtains. Butterflies. The color green. The promise of summer. Driving my car with the windows down and the music blaring. The sun on my face. Walks. Hikes. Grilling for the first time after a long hiatus. Longer light-filled days. Farmers markets. Picnics.

And last but not least, asparagus. Yes, asparagus. I love asparagus.  Which brings me to this sister-inspired recipe. Every summer I spend a week up on the shores of Lake Michigan visiting my sister and her family in the wonderful little town of St. Joseph, Michigan.  We talk, we laugh, we cook together, we listen to music. We  lay on the beach like the biggest beach bums ever, we go sailing, we gallavant up and down the western Michigan coast and visit cute little towns like Saugatuck and South Haven or we hop on the Amtrak to Chicago for a day of exploring. Anyway, a few summers ago my sister took me to a fantastic restaurant called Timothy’s located in Union Pier, Michigan (http://timothysrestaurant.com/index.html). She said that I just had to try their wok-seared asparagus and see if I could duplicate the recipe for her. The asparagus was absolutely close-your-eyes-heavenly wonderful. I remember smacking my lips together tasting the asian sauce and trying to figure out what was in it…..this is the recipe that resulted.

RECIPE: Asian Sesame Asparagus

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon asian chile paste (optional, kicks it up a bit)

2 lbs. asparagus

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and asian chili paste. Set aside.

2. Snap the asparagus at the tender part of the stalk. Cut into 1-inch pieces or you can leave whole (whichever you prefer).

3. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus to skillet and stir to coat with oil. Saute 3-4 minutes until tender but firm.

4. Add sauce to skillet. Stir and cook until heated through about 1 minute.

5. Place asparagus on serving dish, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Mmmm…

Note: you can also steam the asparagus, roast in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, or grill it by threading it onto two parallel skewers.

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.” -Charles Dickens