Ever just crave a good soup no matter the time of year? Well, this soup is my all-time favorite “any time of year” soup! The secret is it’s mostly cauliflower which helps with calorie cutting. I really enjoy the recipes that Skinnytaste puts out as most of the recipes are for reduced-calorie meals that allow you to enjoy classics, but at a healthier option. This rich and flavorful soup recipe can be found here https://www.skinnytaste.com/baked-potato-soup/
I recommend giving it a try as even my toddler thinks it’s amazing! It takes roughly 20 minutes from prep to table, so it definitely qualifies for a fast and delicious weeknight meal. When I’ve been in a pinch and didn’t have any fresh cauliflower on hand, I used frozen cauliflower and it works just fine. The key is using your immersion blender to really get off the cauliflower and potato blended into a creamy, smooth, and silky soup. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do and as an added treat….here is our daughter enjoying Skinnytaste’s Loaded Baked Potato Soup!
Can I get a show of hands for all of those who have missed going to their favorite restaurants during the quarantine?! I know I’m not the only one who misses their favorite local Mexican Restaurant, right? My family loves Mexican food and that’s why I decided to make my own Loaded Chicken Enchiladas. This recipe is easy to follow and packed with delicious ingredients that is sure to leave you feeling satisfied.
Loaded Chicken Enchiladas
These enchiladas are so easy to make and are absolutely delicious. I load mine up with plenty of gooey cheese and spicy chicken, then I roll them up nice and tight, stack then into a glass baking dish to bake and finally top with more cheese. I have found that stewing the chicken with chicken stock, white onion, and a couple of cans of green chilies make for a delicious chicken enchilada. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Loaded Chicken Enchiladas
LOADED CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Ingredients:
10 small four tortillas
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 cups quesadilla cheese, divided
1 white onion, diced
1 cup chicken broth (I like Better Than Bullion Chicken Base)
2 large cans diced green chilies, mild
3 Tbsp green onion, diced
1 large can green enchilada sauce
Sour cream
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Shredded lettuce
Avocado, diced
Cilantro, finely chopped
Directions:
Stew chicken with onion, chilies and broth (I used my Instant Pot; pressure cook on high for 10 minutes and natural release for 5 minutes); once cooked shred the chicken.
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Fill tortillas with a generous portion of cheese, chicken mixture, and more cheese. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish in a row.
Top the enchiladas with green sauce and more cheese. Add as much sauce and cheese that you like here.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream and cilantro to serve.
Steakhouse Pork Medallions with Strawberry Bacon Sauce
This was an instant hit at our house for a delicious dinner. This is an easy 30 minute meal that is sure to please the whole family. Weeknight meals are slowly becoming a specialty of mine as we navigate school, work and after school activity schedules. Since we have a busy weekly schedule I want fast, easy and delicious meals that I know my whole family will enjoy. Plus having time in the kitchen after a stressful workday can be therapeutic for the soul. Last night I decided to make a fast sauce for our pork tenderloin. The sauce was fragrant, tasty and not to mention ridiculously easy! It also gave some depth to the whole dish by stepping up the pork. I am happy to share this quick and easy recipe and as always, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Steakhouse Pork Medallions with Strawberry Bacon Sauce
STEAKHOUSE PORK MEDALLIONS WITH STRAWBERRY BACON SAUCE
Ingredients:
Steakhouse seasoned pork tenderloin (baked or grilled per packaging)
A bundle of asparagus (baked or grilled to preference)
Long grain rice (cooked to package directions)
1/2 carton Strawberries; hulled and diced
1 shallot, diced
6 strips of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
Dash of white pepper
Directions:
Start by cooking the tenderloin per directions on the package or however you prefer your tenderloin.
Prep asparagus and rice according your preference as well.
When the meal is cooking prep and make sauce as follows.
Cook bacon on medium heat until just under crispy; drain off grease and return to hot pan.
Add shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add strawberries and cook for 1 minute.
Add balsamic vinegar, honey and white pepper. Allow to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until strong vinegar smell is gone.
Once the tenderloin has cooked and been allowed to rest, cut into medallions and serve with sauce over the top. Rice and asparagus can be plated on the side.
This is a yummy was to bake up a fast weeknight meal that is packed full of something everyone loves! I like to make this Chicken and Veggie Pasta Bake on the regular and I really enjoy how versatile this dish is. You can choose all sorts of veggie combinations with this recipe. It should be fun to try new combos. Keep in mind the season as you could always utilize fresh from the garden veggies like squash and zucchini or even a variety of peppers. In the winter months, I like to use mushrooms and peas because frozen peas work great in a dish like this. There are a couple of staples that are must for a deep and rich flavor. Those staples include Parmesan cheese and sliced almonds. Without these key ingredients your dish would be missing that crunchy topping that completes the whole dish. Now, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Chicken And Veggie Pasta Bake
CHICKEN AND VEGGIE PASTA BAKE
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and sliced (cook it how you like it…grilled is our favorite!)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 (16 oz) pkg angel hair pasta, cooked and cooled
1 (8 oz) pkg mushrooms, sliced
1 bundle asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp white wine
3 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk (room temp)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook chicken according to your preference. We prefer to grill the chicken, rest it and then slice it. You could even bake or roast the chicken and then shred it.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a casserole dish.
Cook pasta to just under; should only boil for 1 minute.
Sauté mushrooms in a hot pan until juices start to run out and they become brown, add white wine and asparagus; cook for 3 additional minutes. Remove veggies and leave liquid in the hot pan.
Add butter to liquid and allow to melt and bubble. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes or until the flour smell has dissipated; add milk and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Once gravy is thick remove from heat.
Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese and add pasta, veggies and chicken; combine well.
Add pasta mixture to baking dish. Top with almonds and the rest of the cheese.
I have been really excited to share this blog with you! As you know, yesterday was Father’s Day and my husband is a GREAT Daddy to our daughter. We are so lucky to have him in our lives and he is absolutely the BEST Daddy ever, so when he puts a request for a special dinner I am more than happy to oblige! Ever since we’ve been on lockdown from quarantine, we’ve started watching more and more cooking channels on YouTube. We just happened to stumble across this one https://www.youtube.com/user/bgfilms which I highly recommend you go check him out as he makes some of the most amazing dishes! My husband saw his Shepherds Pie and asked if we could try it out, so that’s what I made for his Father’s Day feast (here’s the link to the recipe: https://basicswithbabish.co/basicsepisodes/shepherdspie)
The Shepherds Pie before piping the potatoes. AMAZING!
This recipe has so many wonderful ingredients and is super tasty. I cannot say this enough…fresh herbs…you MUST use fresh herbs! Because this is a meat and potatoes kind of meal it really sticks with you. One thing I was a little worried about at first was the amount of ingredients that we were going to have to buy for one meal, but as it turns out we had almost everything in our kitchen; which means we didn’t break the bank on one recipe.
BWB Shepherds Pie…SO DELICIOUS!
I didn’t have a Demi-Glaze puck as it’s not something that I have on hand in my kitchen, so I made my fresh version which I have shared below. The overall recipe for my Demi-Glaze is easy, tasty and rich which I knew would be a perfect accompaniment to the Shepherds Pie recipe; all of those deep robust flavors really come through with each bite of Binging with Babish’s Shepherds Pie recipe. His recipe is now on our rotation of meals we LOVE! I hope you give it a try and here is my simple Demi-Glaze recipe.
Demi-Glaze
DEMI-GLAZE
Ingredients:
4 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Directions:
Add beef stock to a medium size pot and bring to a rapid simmer; reduce heat to medium-low.
Reduce stock for 1 1/2 hours.
Once stock has reduce by half add a slurry of cornstarch and water; allow to simmer for 10 additional minutes.
Remove from heat and add butter.
Allow to cool at room temperature until completely cool. Store in an airtight container or freeze for later use.
A Slice Of My Life 