Chicken Empanadas

I absolutely LOVE when I'm able to throw ingredients I have on hand for a quick weeknight meal. I have already told you guys how much I love salsa + cream cheese + shredded Mexican cheese. So for these chicken empanadas, I stuck with what I love. It was a super quick and easy meal and came out delicious.

2 packages of puff pastry (4 sheets)
4 cups shredded chicken, fully cooked (such as a rotisserie chicken)
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 cup salsa
Zest & Juice of 1 lime
1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp water (egg wash for top of empanadas)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Thaw puff pastry sheets as instructed on package. Roll out the puff pastries until there are no creases. Using a biscuit cutter or top of the cup, cut puff pastry into circles with about a 3 inch diameter. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, Mexican cheese, salsa and lime juice & zest. Fill each pastry circle with about 1 1/2 tbsp of filling. Leave about 1/4 inch around, fold over and seal edges by pressing with a fork. Brush each empanada with some of the egg wash. Line on baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Tiramisu

Hey Kids!

So, out here in Hawaii, lady fingers are incredibly hard to come by. I've been forced to make my tiramisu using Sponge Cake or Angel Food Cake. I was in a rush making this tiramisu, so I used a boxed Angel Food Cake. It came out delicious, and was a lot easier to put together.

1 Angel Food Cake mix (makes 2 9 inch cakes) or Sponge Cake (double recipe if you use Sponge Cake)
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 8 oz. containers Marscapone cheese
1 8 oz. container cream cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp amaretto
1 tsp kahlua
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup water
2 instant coffee packets
1/4 cup kahlua
1/4 cup amaretto

Bake angel food cake as instructed on package. Set aside to cool.

In a double boiler, combine egg yolks, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Cook for 4-5 minutes until it turns a pale yellow. Set aside to cool. In a mixer, beat Marscapone and cream cheese together. Mix in egg yold mixture. In a separate bowl, whip cream, sugar, amaretto and kahlua until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into Marscapone mixture. Add in nutmeg and gently stir ingredients until well combined. In a small mixing bowl, combine water, coffee packets, kahlua and amaretto.

Turn the cakes over onto a surface. Using a spoon, slowly pour coffee mixture over the bottoms of the cakes. Place one of the cakes with the coffee mixture down into a serving dish. Spread half of the Marscapone mixture over the cake. Layer the other cake on top, again with the coffee mixture side down. Spread the rest of the Marscapone mixture and sprinkle with some cocoa powder.

Sausage & Mushroom Stuffed Shells

One of my favorite combinations is sausage and mushrooms. I love sausage stuffed mushrooms, sausage and mushroom pizza, and now, sausage and mushroom stuffed shells. I love stuffed shells in general. They are a lot of work, but you can make a bunch ahead of time and then freeze them for a quick meal later. I used my homemade marinara sauce with them. If you haven't tried my recipe for homemade marinara, please do immediately. Once you start making your own sauce, you'll never go back to jarred sauce. I usually quadruple the recipe and jar it with quart sized mason jars.

1 box jumbo shells
2 cups marinara sauce

1.235 lb package of Italian sausage, casing removed

1 15 oz ricotta cheese
1 8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup romano cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top
1 egg, beaten
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cups chopped mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook shells as directed on package. Cook Italian sausage in skillet until brown and crumbly. In a mixer, beat cream cheese until soft. Add in ricotta, parmesan, romano, mozzarella, beaten egg, garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Mix in sausage and mushrooms. Fill each shell with mixture. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with enough marinara to cover the bottom. Lay shells on top of marinara. Cover shells with more marinara and sprinkle more mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Oreo Cookie Truffles

I've made these bad boys before but never posted the recipe. I decided I would make them again since 1) they're delicious and 2) I wanted to share them with you all.

So, I went to work in the kitchen, whipped together the filling then took the time to dip all 30+ of the little guys into the melted chocolate. I recruited Jon to help and asked him to sprinkle some crushed oreos on top of them. To him sprinkling apparently equals dumping so they ended up with more garnish than I anticipated, not going to complain about extra oreo that's for sure. Then, I placed them on a plate covered with wax paper and stuck them in the fridge. I went back in the fridge because after sneaking a few of them, I needed some milk. So, I grabbed out the milk which my genius arse had used as a support for the plate (real smart Cait) which of course caused the plate to flip over and fall onto the floor into a big chocolate blob. Now, most of the time when accidents like these happen in our house, Jon is somehow to blame. I was so angry with myself that I swear if he even chuckled or looked at me sideways, I would've flown off the handle, haha. So I marched out of the kitchen without saying a word, or closing the fridge. I came back into the kitchen to him cleaning up my mess for me and then I finally just busted out in laughter. Once I started laughing, he admitted that he had been sitting there trying to figure out if he was to blame somehow. It ended up being a comical waste of time. I feel like someone upstairs is as concerned with my waist line as I am. Luckily, I did snap a picture for you guys before the destruction. I hope that you don't have a disaster on your hands when you make them because with all the work of dipping them, it is really nice to actually be able to eat them afterwards.

1 box oreos
8 oz cream cheese, softened
11 oz bag chocolate chips

Using a food processor, pulse oreo cookies until fine. (You could also just throw them in a Ziploc bag and beat them senseless with a rolling pin.) Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese in medium mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in cookie crumbs. Place mixture in fridge for about one hour to set. Once set and hard enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out and shape into bite sized balls.

Use a double boiler or microwave to melt chocolate chips. Using a fork or slotted spoon, dip each ball into chocolate until fully covered. Place on baking sheet lined with wax paper and set in refrigerator until chocolate hardens.

Chicken Enchiladas

So in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I decided to make some yummy chicken enchiladas. I pretty much look for any excuse to combine cream cheese, Mexican cheese and salsa together so I figured that it would make a great filling for enchiladas. I used a combination of Emeril Lagasse's and Rachael Ray's enchilada sauce recipes, with a couple of my own additions. The result was delicious!



Enchilada Sauce:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic

1 serrano pepper

12 oz tomato paste

1 tsp hot sauce (or more to taste)

1/4 cup chili powder

3 cups chicken stock

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz shredded Mexican cheese

8 oz salsa

4 cups shredded chicken, fully cooked

10-12 corn tortillas

Additional 1 cup shredded cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, cook garlic and serrano in vegetable oil for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Add in tomato paste, hot sauce and chili powder. Allow to cook just for a minute and then add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low-medium and allow to simmer together for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, Mexican cheese, salsa and chicken in mixing bowl.

Once sauce is fully combined and seasonings are to your liking, spread about a 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Next, place a couple spoonfuls of the filling in each of the tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce (you will have leftover sauce for later) and then additional shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Stuffed French Toast Casserole

Hey there!

So I'm sure you all have noticed by now that a good majority of my recipes are stovetop recipes. For some reason, I don't really use my oven too much besides finishing off the meal or baking. My very first blog post was for an Amaretto French Toast. Jon asked for french toast the other day and I was just not feeling standing over the stove flipping 12 pieces of toast, y'know? So I decided I would make it a casserole, which I've done before and we loved. It comes out kind of like a breakfast bread pudding. We love stuffed french toast, so I stuffed the bread with a cream cheese icing. The recipe is similar to my regular french toast, minus the amaretto. I'm sticking with what I know tastes good on this one. Hope you guys enjoy this!

12-14 pieces sweet bread
2 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Glaze:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish with butter. In large mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs, flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Whisk together until smooth.

In a separate medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract until smooth.

Spread cream cheese icing on bread and sandwich together. Cut "sandwiches" into 6-8 small squares. Lay half of the pieces in casserole dish and pour milk and egg mixture over top of first layer. Layer rest of pieces on top and pour remaining batter over top. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

While casserole is baking, melt stick of butter on medium heat on stove. Whisk in sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon until combined. Lower heat to low to keep warm while casserole finishes.

After the 25 minutes, remove casserole from oven and pour brown sugar sauce over casserole. Place back in oven for another 5 minutes. Serve with any additional cream cheese icing and brown sugar sauce drizzled over top.

Tip: when you put the casserole back in with the brown sugar sauce, it may be a good idea to put a baking sheet under casserole dish to make sure the sauce doesn't bubble over into oven.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I had some mushrooms and sausage left over from my pizza adventure yesterday so I decided I would make some sausage stuffed mushrooms. Jon is NOT a fan of mushrooms because they have dirt on them when you bring them home from the store. That guy would use any excuse not to eat vegetables, haha. Anyways, after I tried the first one, I basically force fed the mushroom to him to try. After a couple seconds he agreed that they were delicious. I hope you all enjoy them too.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

16 ounces mushrooms, cleaned with damp towel and stems removed
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or hand grated
2 cups crumbled sausage, fully cooked (remove casing and cook like ground beef)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup romano cheese, grated
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine cream cheese, butter and garlic until fully combined and smooth. Add in sausage, parmesan, romano, mozzarella, black pepper, paprika and salt. Stuff mushrooms with mixture. Top with some extra grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Every holiday, my parents usually serve up Twice Baked Potatoes. They are so delicious. I decided to try and make it a little different with some sweet potatoes.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

6 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
1 stick butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and cook in oven for about an hour. Take out of oven and allow to cool until able to handle. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out middle of all potatoes. Reserve skins. Combine potatoes, butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in mixing bowl. Fill potato skins with potato mixture. Place back on baking sheet and bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta

So last night I didn't feel like doing back flips to get dinner on the table. As I've mentioned, I'm in retail so this month is incredibly tiring for me. I found a recipe on the inside of a cream cheese package for spaghetti mixed with cream cheese. I made a few changes and whipped it together real quick.

I was so excited at how delicious it was. I really think its a new household favorite now. Hope you guys like it too!

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta

2 lbs pasta
1/2 stick butter
1 8 oz. container cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups pasta sauce
2 cups shredded chicken
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated romano cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain pasta and set to side. In pasta pot, melt 1/2 stick butter on medium heat. Add cream cheese and pasta sauce to pot and stir to combine. Add in chicken, parmesan and romano. Pour pasta back into pot and toss with sauce.

Shrimp Dip

Super simple to make, only 2 ingredients!

1 4oz can of Sau Sea Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature

Blend two ingredients until smooth consistency. Serve with crackers, veggies and olives!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This recipe was kind of an accident. I mean, I purposely decided to make a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie but I messed up the recipe a tiny little bit. Usually when I do recipes I label the filling ingredients. Well the recipe I decided to base my first pumpkin whoopie attempt at didn't do that. So I started adding in the filling ingredients right into the pie portion! Yikes! It wasn't until I got to the part where they have a second vanilla extract addition that I put two and two together. I should have read the instructions, but I was way too excited for these bad Larrys!

Anyways, it ended up working out! All of the times before when I made whoopie pies, they always seemed to come out dry. This time they were super moist and delicious. I decided to do a Ginger Cinnamon Cream Cheese filling. Um, yum!

Sorry the picture is cell phone quality. I hereby solemnly swear I will buy a DSLR sometime in the I-hope-not-so-distant-future.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pie: adapted from this recipe
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp honey
1 15 oz can Libby's pumpkin
2 eggs + 1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tbsp ground ginger

Filling:
3/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup shortening
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet(s) with cooking spray.

Using electric mixer, combine sugar, oil, cream, honey, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and almond extract. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Slowly incorporate dry mixture into wet mixture until fully combine. Use an ice cream scoop to divide batter into cookie sizes on baking sheet(s). Allow to cook for about 11-12 minutes, until fork inserted comes out clean.

Meanwhile, use electric mixer to beat cream cheese and shortening together until well combined and fluffy. Add in remaining ingredients until fully combined. If needed, add another 1/2 tbsp of heavy cream to reach desired consistency of filling.

Makes about 16 whoopie pies!