Erik and I had a gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma, so this week we headed up to the mall to buy some new goodies! After browsing the store, we had decided on getting a new kabob holder for the grill, which happened to be on clearance (yay)! And…

A fantastic apple peeler, corer, slicer! (Really, truly, it does ALL that!) I grew up with one of these, that my mom had purchased from Pampered Chef, and I have fond memories of making spiral apples. However, this was Erik’s first time with the device. It’s fair to say, it’s definitely a hit! The dogs even loved it! (They got to eat the “rope” made from the peel once we were done) Somehow this just makes eating fruit so much better! I have a hard time biting into apples, and this makes it so much easier to enjoy a healthy yummy apple. We will definitely be putting this to use also this fall when we make up apple pies! So put your order in now!

Amazon.com has the peeler for only $23.15 - a small price to pay for the time it will save making those apple pies, and not to mention just peeling them for a snack!  Follow the link below to purchase it!

Back To Basics Apple and Potato Peeler

You might be noticing a pattern here.. We LOVE couscous. It is so versatile and goes well with just about anything. I usually like to cook it in chicken stock, but you can use water, vegetable stock, even coconut milk.

This dish was really flavorful thanks to the lime and the rum lends a nice subtle flavor. The asparagus was amazing also, we usually make it on the grill - but after having it roasted, we will never switch again. Olive oil, salt and pepper are really all you need to make this taste amazing!

Equipment you’ll need:

• Baking sheet, covered with aluminum foil
• Small saucepan
• Large skillet

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup rum
• 2 limes zested
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped (optional, for garnish)
• 1 cup couscous
• 2 cups chicken stock

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange asparagus on the baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus, and sprinkle some salt and pepper over it also. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, then add the almonds over top. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until asparagus is tender and almonds are browned.

While the asparagus is cooking, heat the large skillet over med heat, drizzle some olive oil in the bottom about 2 teaspoons. Once the pan is hot, drop the onions, garlic, and sugar in and heat until onions are soft, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and saute until golden brown on all sides. Next your going to add the lime juice (save a small amount for the couscous if you want), and carefully off the heat, add the rum. Return to the heat add 3/4 of the lime zest and a bit of salt and pepper. Let that cook down for 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, boil up that chicken stock and once it’s boiling, add the couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and rest of the lime zest (optional).

Once the chicken is cooked through, the rum sauce should be thickened, and it’s ready to serve. Spoon some couscous onto the plate, top with chicken and sauce, and pair it with the asparagus and almonds!

This was very easy quick and very good. I thought it was a little salty, due mostly to the feta, however if you like feta you’ll love this. Erik and I also were thinking while were eating, that goat cheese would be fantastic in this. It’s very easy to change it up to your liking.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Small saucepan
• Baking dish
• Small mixing bowl
• Rolling pin or meat tenderizer

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 1 4oz. container feta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 4-5 sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1 cup chicken stock

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. In between two pieces of wax paper, pound the chicken breasts with the mallet or rolling pin until 1/4 inches thick. In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 oz. feta, chopped basil, and chopped tomatoes. Mound a small amount of the cheese mixture onto the chicken breast, fold in half and secure with toothpicks. Line the baking dish with 1/2 of the breadcrumbs, put in the chicken and pour the rest of the breadcrumbs over the breasts, making sure the breadcrumbs are coating the chicken. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

For couscous: Boil the chicken stock in the small saucepan. Once it is boiling, add couscous, remove from heat, cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. Once couscous is done, add the rest of the feta cheese and 1 tablespoon of oil from the sun dried tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Enjoy!

We had this meal for dinner last night, and let me tell you… it was delicious! If you like thai food - you’d definately love this dish! I used this recipe as a starter - but I made a few adjustments.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Baking dish
• Small skillet
• Small saucepan

Ingredients:

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 4 chicken breast halves
  
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste ( added a bit more.. because we like it spicy!)
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup quick cooking jasmine rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium size bowl, combine the bell pepper, salt and pepper, chicken stock, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, curry paste, and 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk. Stir to combine. Arrange chicken in the bottom of a baking dish and pour the liquid over the chicken. Bake for approx. 30 min or until chicken is done.

For rice: Over low heat, toast the flaked coconut until it is light brown in the skillet. About 5-8 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, it can burn fast! To prepare rice, combine the rest of the coconut milk with a little water. Add the rice and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn down heat, cover and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes. When it is done, stir in the toasted coconut!

Spoon a good amount of rice onto your plate, top with a chicken breast! Enjoy!

These muffins are one of my favorite to make.  I found the recipe here  They are so easy and yummy!  Perfect for extra ripe bananas!

Equipment you’ll need:

• Muffin Pan
• Mixer

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers. 

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

A great easy crockpot recipe! We prefer to use corn tortilla’s because they are more authentic. On our honeymoon, we went to Mexico and had amazing tacos, they always told us that it wasn’t a real taco unless it was with a corn tortilla! Of course, if you prefer flour tortillas use those!

Equipment you’ll need:

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• corn tortillas

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low until chicken is tender enough to shred, around 4 hours. Take chicken out and shred it and put on tacos. We use onions, cilantro, and lime as garnish on top, you can use whatever you like!

This recipe comes to us from Rachael Ray. Love her or hate her, she has really changed the perception of cooking. I have to admit, when I was just starting out, I used a lot of Rachael’s recipes. This recipe is definitely one of our favorites, we make it all the time! These are chicken feta meatballs with a cucumber yogurt sauce. My version is a bit different, after making this dish so many times, I have tweaked it to our liking. It is very yummy and tastes just like the Greek dish, spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Equipment you’ll need:

• Cookie Sheet
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Food processor

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for liberal drizzling
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped and divided
• 1/2 C. chopped spinach, defrosted
• 3/4 C. crumbled feta cheese
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 Tbs. grill seasoning
• 1 1/2 C. plain yogurt, preferably Greek style (Greek style is thicker than regular yogurt, but can be hard to find)
• 1/3 seedless cucumber chopped
• 3 Tbs. dill
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. coriander
• salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine onion and 3 cloves garlic.  Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry.  Separate the spinach as you add it to the garlic and onion.  Add feta, chicken, and grill seasoning to the bowl and a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.  Mix it all together and form the mixture into 1 1/2 in. meatballs.  Place the meatballs on a non-stick cookie sheet (I use aluminum foil over the cookie sheet, sprayed with non-stick spray to help with clean up).  Bake for 13-15 minutes until they are golden brown and juices run clear.

Place yogurt, left over garlic, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth.  Adjust seasonings and transfer to serving bowl.

Enjoy!

My husband LOVES the salty/sweet combination, and he also loves the peanut butter/chocolate combo. So I started making different types of cookies to find our favorite, and we have finally come up with a winning recipe, that I have named solely for him! I hope you enjoy “Erik’s Cookies”

Equipment you’ll need:

• Cookie Sheet
• A mixer (this is not necessary, but it’s easier!)
• 1 large bowl
• 1 medium bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 T. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 bag peanut butter chips
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with your mixer until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla one at a time, making sure each is incorporated fully before adding the next. In the medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir it into the creamed mixture. Stir in both kinds of chips. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto your cookies sheet. Press each ball with the fork to create the lines. Bake for approx. 8 minutes or until edges are just slightly browned. In my experience, cookies are usually better when you take them out when they still look a bit doughy, if you wait until they are completely baked, they always end up rock hard. This allows them to gently cool down and finish cooking on the baking sheet.

Serve with a big glass of milk!

Erik and I couldn’t figure out what exact “nationality” this food was, or what we should call it, so it doesn’t really have a name - or a good description. It is somewhere between Arabic and Thai It’s a really nice dish, especially if you enjoy coconut milk. I served the chicken with sauce over a bed of couscous, which I highly recommend!

Equipment you’ll need:

• Small sauce pan
• Large skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 cup couscous
• 4 chicken breast halves
• 2 t. cumin
• 2 t. cayenne pepper
• 2 t. turmeric
• 2 t. coriander
• 1 t. basil
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 T. freshly grated ginger
• 1 can whole tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk

Instructions:

Cook the couscous according to directions. I like to add about 1/4 cup of coconut milk to the couscous just to give it a slight sweetness. It is optional though.

Take out your large skillet, put a little olive oil in the bottom and turn on medium. Mix up the spices and salt and pepper. Spread over each side of the chicken breast and when each is coated with the spices, place in the hot skillet. Once you put the chicken down, just let it sit, don’t move it around this will help it develop a nice crust. Cook the chicken on each side about 7-10 minutes or until cooked through. Once it is done, remove from the pan and set aside.

If there is no more olive oil in the pan, add some more. If you still have some left, great. At this time, you want to drop in your onions, jalapeños, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onions become nice and soft. Next, add in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan! So much flavor there! Now it’s time to add the coconut milk. Cook until heated through. To serve, make a big mound of couscous, add a chicken breast and top with the coconut milk sauce.