Dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Wraps

This post has been a long time coming! Even though Justin and I have been cooking together since his return and I have (for the most part) still been photographing our process and results, I've just been downright lazy in posting our food to my blog!

Like a truly good wife, I fed my husband leftovers on his first evening home after his being gone for a month. He didn't complain however because these wraps still taste amazing even after the filling has been refrigerated for a day or two.

We appear to have reached the wrap section of our cookbook because we've made three different wraps this month. Summer necessitates wraps, in my opinion, and I'm happy to relate that all three wrap recipes, including the Asian Chicken Wraps, this recipe, and the soon-to-blog Mu Shu-Style Pork Wraps, have all been satisfyingly nommy!

Dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Wraps
(From Better Homes & Garden Biggest Book of 30 Minute Meals)
Ingredients
about 3/4 cup dried tomatoes
(Not oil-packed. I found mine in my supermarket's international section.)
3 cups (about 1 lb.) shredded roasted or grilled chicken
(Again, we always keep frozen chicken breasts stocked in our freezer, so I just roasted a pound in the oven then pulled it apart with a fork.)
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
(I used both! Why not?)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup bottled creamy Italian or ranch salad dressing
(Again, I used both and didn't regret it!)
6 10-inch dried tomato, spinach, and/or plain flour tortillas, warmed
(Microwave tortillas, 2 at a time, for 20 seconds between paper towels to warm them.)
1 cup large fresh basil leaves

Instructions
To toast your pecans, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread out the nuts on it. Bake them on 350° for about 5 minutes or until they're nice and aromatic.

1. Soak dried tomatoes in enough hot water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain and chop tomatoes.

2. In a large bowl combine chopped dried tomatoes, chicken, cheese, pecans, and salad dressing.

3. Line each tortilla with some of the basil leaves. Divide chicken mixture among the tortillas. Fold in sides and roll up; cut each diagonally to serve.

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

Another wonderful holiday follows quickly after National Iced Tea Day: it's National Peanut Butter Cookie Day! Well not today, but it was yesterday. In honor of this most important holiday, I knew I HAD to celebrate by making peanut butter cookies. Unfortunately, I recently ran out of milk and eggs. The obvious alternative? No-bakes! You may feel the need to remind me that no-bakes still DO require milk, but wait and see my strange alternative below!

No Bake Cookies
(From my winter guard's fundraiser cookbook.)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
(Or you can be a milk-less sillyhead like me and use 1/4 cup dry coffee creamer, 1/4 cup cream cheese, & 1/8 cup water!)
1/2 cup butter
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
(I used smooth, all-natural peanut butter which left delightful peanut butter chunks throughout!)
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Mix sugar and cocoa in a mixing bowl. Then, in a medium saucepan, melt butter. Once the butter has been melted, combine sugar, milk (or whatever), butter, and cocoa in the saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1.5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla first. Then mix in peanut butter and oats.

2. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Look at those peanut butter chunks! Om nom!

I don't keep wax paper around...yet, so I sprayed some cutting boards with non-stick cooking spray and cooled the cookies on them.

I was pleasantly surprised that these turned out so phenomenally well, considering my strange milk substitutions. I'm convinced they're better than the first time I made them the normal way. I ended up with about 30 delicious little cookies, half of which I hope are being consumed by my coworkers as I'm writing this!

It's hard to outshine a food item that gets its own holiday, but the Asian chicken wraps that I made for dinner SURE DO!

Asian Chicken Wraps
(From Better Homes & Gardens Biggest Book of 30 Minute Meals)
Ingredients
1  2- to 2.25 lb. deli-roasted chicken
8  8- to 10-inch flour tortillas
1/2  cup bottled hoisin sauce
1/4  cup finely chopped peanuts
1/4  cup finely chopped green onions
1/2  cup shredded daikon, well drained
3  Tbsp soy sauce
3  Tbsp Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar (I used rice vinegar.)
1  Tbsp water
1  tsp chili oil or toasted sesame oil (I chose the chili oil option.)

Daikon, chopped peanuts, and chopped green onions.

I had never purchased or prepared a daikon before. It's an Asian radish that should be in the international produce section of your supermarket, and it should be peeled before cooking. If you're wary of trying this, I believe carrots or cabbage would make good substitutes in this recipe.


Instructions
1. Remove skin from chicken and discard. Remove chicken from bones and shred chicken (you should have about 4 cups); set aside.

I had chicken breasts in the freezer, so I thawed them and popped them in the oven on a roasting pan at 375° for about 25 minutes. I then shredded them in the food processor which made the chicken really easy to roll up in the tortilla.

2. Heat tortilla for 20 seconds, 2 at a time on a paper towel in the microwave. Spread one side of each tortilla with some of the hoisin sauce; sprinkle with peanuts and green onions. Top with shredded chicken and shredded daikon.

3. Roll up tortillas; halve crosswise.

4. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, vinegar, the water, and oil. Serve as a dipping sauce with chicken roll-ups.

These wraps with the dipping sauce were SO amazing; I even enjoyed trying the new-to-me daikon! Hubby and I both love Asian food, so I let him know that I'll be making these again for him when he comes home in a couple of weeks. The dipping sauce would be delicious to make and keep in your fridge for any time you enjoy Asian food.

I made coleslaw along with the wraps, and since I only enjoy about half of the coleslaws I ever try, I wasn't too enthusiastic about this recipe. I'll post it just in case you happen to love coleslaw and want a new recipe for a pretty basic slaw.

Dutch Treat Coleslaw
(From the BH&G 30 minute meals cookbook.)
Ingredients
1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup salad oil (I used olive oil.)
1 tsp celery seeds (Found in the spice aisle of the grocery store.)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup dairy sour cream (I used onion sour cream dip left over from the nommy Veggie Mash.)
8 cups shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)
1 small green sweet pepper, chopped

Instructions
1. For dressing, in a small saucepan combine sugar, vinegar, and the water; heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

2. In a blender combine sugar mixture, oil, celery seeds, salt, and black pepper; cover and blend until well mixed. Add sour cream; cover and blend just until combined.

3. In a large bowl combine coleslaw mix and sweet pepper.

4. Add dressing. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Produces 8 to 10 servings. I halved this recipe and still ended up with more coleslaw than I'd like to consume by myself.

Tuna & Pasta Alfredo

Two words that best describe this dish: COMFORT FOOD! Growing up, I always loved those easy summer days of tuna salad, so when the flavor of tuna is combined with soft pasta and creamy alfredo, a big bowl of comfort is the result! This recipe, from the BH&G 30 minute meal cookbook, is quick and easy to make and produces about 6 servings.

Ingredients
3 cups dried mini lasagna, broken mafalda, or medium noodles (I used penne.)
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups chopped broccoli rabe or broccoli
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped (I'm using up bottled red sweet pepper from a previous recipe.)
1 10-oz. container refrigerated Alfredo pasta sauce (I bought a 15 oz. jar in the pasta sauce section.)
2 tsp snipped fresh dillweed (Or 1 tsp dried.)
1-2 Tbsp milk (Optional. I excluded this since I had extra Alfredo sauce.)
1 9.5 oz can tuna (water-packed), drained and broken into chunks (I used two 5-oz. cans.)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)


Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Return pasta to hot pan. Cover and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add broccoli rabe or broccoli and sweet pepper; cook until tender. Stir in Alfredo sauce and dillweed. If necessary, stir in enough of the milk to make sauce of desired consistency. Gently stir cooked pasta and tuna into broccoli mixture. Heat through.

3. To serve, if desired, sprinkle with almonds.

My tuna alfredo was accompanied by a spinach salad with our homemade balsamic vinaigrette, mushrooms, and cracker crumbles as well as a piece of garlic parmesan toast with olive oil and basil.

National Iced Tea Day
Did you know that June 10th was National Iced Tea Day? Yeah, I didn't either until I found out on Twitter that evening. I couldn't miss out on this opportunity to reconnect with my Southern roots, so I whipped out my iced tea maker and brewed some up!

Water quality makes a big difference! If you make your own ice, use filtered water!

Since it was late in the evening, I made decaf black and Refresh peppermint tea. I only made 1 liter, so I used 3 black and 3 Refresh tea bags with 2 Tbsp of sugar. It was the perfect proportion of black tea, peppermint flavor, and light sweetness.

Down Home Cooking

I recently put together a nice down home meal of pork chops, mashed potatoes, and biscuits and kicked this traditional meal up a notch by trying out Pork Chops with Peppers & Onions (cooked in white wine!),  Veggie Mash, and Cheddar Garlic Biscuits. I love a good twist on an old favorite!

Pork Chops with Peppers & Onions
(From Better Homes & Gardens Biggest Book of 30 Minute Meals)
I'll begin by admitting that this was the least exciting part of the meal. I enjoy the flavor that the white wine adds, and the peppers lend brilliant color, but next time I make pork chops, I'll probably use this recipe as a jumping-off point and add even more flare to it myself!

Ingredients
4 pork loin or rib chops, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (about 1 1/4 lb. total)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into strips
1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into strips
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, cut into strips
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp salt

1. Trim fat from chops. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chops; cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until brown, turning once. Add sweet peppers and onion to skillet. Add the water, wine, rosemary, and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 4 to 7 minutes or until pork is done (160°F) and juices run clear.

The pork chops are under there I promise!

2. Transfer chops to serving plates. Use a slotted spoon to remove pepper mixture from skillet; spoon over chops. If desired, drizzle with some of skillet juices.

Veggie Mash
(From Better Homes & Gardens Biggest Book of 30 Minute Meals)
I'm definitely in love with this recipe and think it will be a staple on our menus from now on. It makes quite a bit, so I think it would be a quick and easy party or potluck dish. These are mashed potatoes you can feel good about!

Ingredients
6 medium carrots, sliced
4 medium red potatoes (1 1/4 lb. total), cut into cubes
1 cup coarsely chopped broccoli
4 oz. onion-flavor dairy sour cream dip
1/2 tsp seasoned pepper (I used garlic pepper.)


Instructions
1. In a covered Dutch oven or large saucepan cook carrots and potatoes in enough boiling salted water to cover about 15 minutes or until tender, adding broccoli for the last 3 minutes of cooking.

2. Drain vegetables; transfer to large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer or low speed. Add dip and seasoned pepper. Beat until fluffy.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
(Submitted by my friend Sarah to our winter guard's fundraiser cookbook.)
I had the most fun making this part of the meal! Having recently taken part in baking cookies for my church's VBS program, I took this opportunity to put my newly-acquired dough-rolling and -cutting skills to the test in my own home! I know...I'm really behind in the baking arena; you should have seen my last attempts at baking biscuits! They worked out much better for me this time -- I think the baby step of using baking mix helped me out significantly.

Ingredients
2 cups baking mix
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Mix together baking mix, cold water and grated cheese. Roll out biscuits on a floured surface. Biscuits should be approximately 1" thick.

Like my rolling pin?

2. Cut biscuits with a cutter and place onto an ungreased baking dish (a tray worked out just fine for me).

Like my cutter?

3. Melt butter and seasoning together. Brush with the butter and spices and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Om nom nom!

Lemony Lemon "Brownies" & Pomaritas

Today I bring you another lemon Pinterest find. Apparently I'm on a lemon fix as of late! I think "Lemony Lemon" is an understatement for the amount of lemon flavor that these bars pack. Where I thought the Lemon Crinkle Cookies could use more lemon, I think these "brownies" could use less. My coworkers devoured them though, so if lemon is your thing, I say go for it!

Lemony Lemon Brownies
"Brownie" Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp lemon zest (I omitted this, and they were still super lemony!)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Tart Lemon Glaze Ingredients

1 rounded cup powdered sugar

4 Tbsp lemon juice 

8 tsp lemon zest (I omitted this yet again.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside. Zest and juice two small/large lemons; set aside. (I used bottled lemon juice. Maybe that's why they were so tart?)

2. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. (I baked these at my friend Danielle's house and therefore forgot we needed a mixer. I stirred it by hand which seemed to work out!)

Danielle always has plenty of flour on hand; that jar probably holds 3 gallons!

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 

4. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.  Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry even with the yummy glaze.

Baked "brownies" on the left with a shot of our workstation on the right, complete with candle and Nook!

5. When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula.  Let glaze set.  Spread the remaining glaze over the bars, and let it set. This glaze does not harden like most.  Cut into bars, and serve!

Since I was at Danielle's house, I forgot to take thorough photos of this dessert, but you can see a nice shot at the original recipe page.


Pomaritas
As a quick side note, I'd like to mention that my friend Meagan and I recently made what I'll now call "Pomaritas!" The Pom adds a softer fruity flavor to everyone's favorite tangy beverage!

Ingredients
1 part tequila
1 part Pom juice
2 part lime margarita mix
Fresh lime juice to taste
Margarita salt for the rim!
Ice