Chicken Parm

Hey Everyone!

So I don't have an ounce of Italian in me but my stomach doesn't seem to accept that. I absolutely love Italian food. I am not a huge marinara fan, usually I go for alfredo. However, chicken parm is something I never can say no to. Chicken parm is one of Jon's favorite meals so this was one of the dishes that I really wanted to master a few years ago. I love to use this recipe for his birthday, or our anniversary. I sent it to one of my friends and she made it for her father's birthday and said she had a great response. I hope you all have the same results.

As always, be sure to send in your questions, comments and pictures!

Cait's Chicken Parm

4 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley or 2 tbsp dry parsley
2 cups and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Prepared Pasta
2 cups alfredo or marinara sauce (whichever your preference)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare Rectangular baking dish with 1 cup of sauce spread along bottom. Prepare pasta as directed on box. While pasta is cooking, set up 3 plates or bowls on counter. First has flour, salt and pepper- use fork to blend ingredients. Next has beaten eggs. Last has bread crumbs, parsley and 2 cups of parmesan- reserve remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan. On cutting board using parchment paper and meat mallet, beat chicken breats to 1/4 inch width. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip each breast in flour mixture, then eggs, then bread crumb mixture. Cook the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Pour prepared pasta over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over pasta. Top with prepared chicken. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheese over top baking dish. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.


If you guys don't have a meat mallet, use your rolling pin or frying pan. Its a great way to take out your aggression, lol.

Hope you guys like it! Send me those pics- cookingwithcait@gmail.com
xoxo Cait

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Aloha Kakahiaka! (Good Morning)

It is early in the morning, or late in the night depending how you look at it. It is 6:38am here in beautiful Hawaii and I still have not gone to sleep. I decided to take some excedrin migraine which has caffeine in it, at 10pm. Sooooo I stayed up all night watching old episodes of Big Brother. After I got bored with that, I decided to be productive with my time and write out another of my favorite recipes, Spinach-Artichoke Dip. This dip is something I always order at restaurants and something I've always found myself critiquing. I loooove cheese and I always felt that the dips needed more cheese and more salt. So I researched online and failed a lot experimenting, but finally came up with a dip that I like to serve with bagel chips or tortilla chips. Unless my friends are terrific actors, this dip is always well received at parties.

As usual, please send me some feedback since anyone besides my friends is impartial and I'd love to get some unbiased opinions :) cookingwithcait@gmail.com

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

1 12oz jar of quartered and marinated artichoke hearts

1 cup coarsley chopped spinach
1 tsp. salt
2 cloves minced or grated garlic
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1 cup finely shredded low moisture part skim mozarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded 3 cheese blend (Parmesan, asiago, romano)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use cooking spray to lighty grease 8x8 baking dish. Coarsley chop spinach and artichoke hearts. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour into prepared dish. Sprinkle extra shredded mozarella on top. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Calorie Count: 12 servings at 176 calories (does not include serving chips)

I'm going to be serving this dip at a party this weekend so I will definitely come back and post a picture or two so you all can enjoy the tastiness with your eyes before you try out the recipe! :)

Please excuse any craziness this blog may contain, my thoughts are jumbled due to lack of sleep. Love you all <3 xoxo

Chocolate Peanut Butter Gooey Cake

Aloooooooooooooha!

Okay so have you read the title yet?? Yeah, we're doing gooey butter cakes the way they're meant to be done, with Chocolate and Peanut Butter.

I fell in love with Gooey Butter Cakes watching Paula Deen on Food Network. She made a Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Unfortunately Jon doesn't like Pumpkin so I was the only one who appreciated its yumminess. So I was forced to get creative and start reworking the gooey butter cake to something Jon and I both love. And after much experimenting I got this amazing cake out of it that is always requested for bake sales and parties.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Gooey Cake

Filling:
1 8 oz container softened cream cheese
1 1 lb box powdered sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, whichever you like)
1 stick melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

"Cake":
1 box brownie mix
1 egg, beaten
1 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. First combine brownie mix, egg and melted butter in mixing bowl. Pat mix into prepared baking pan. Next, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Add eggs one at a time to mix. Next, beat in peanut butter. Then mix in butter, vanilla and almond extracts. Make sure it is fully combined, and then pour over top of cake mix.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cake will be slighty gooey in middle. Let cake cool before serving.

The cake is also very yummy if you let set in the fridge for an hour or so, it won't be warm, but it will be easy to serve and just as tasty!

Calories: 16 servings, 393 calories per serving

Feedback is always appreciated, cookingwithcait@gmail.com

First Blog- Amaretto French Toast

Aloha!

So everyone is always asking me for the recipes of all the crazy concotions I whip up. I've decided I'll start a blog, easy for me to keep track of my recipes and share them with everyone! It makes my life a lot easier because I've been searching everywhere for a scrapbook/ recipe book, where you can basically build your own cookbook. I saw one a while ago and decided against getting it and I've been kicking myself ever since. With this, I don't have to do any scrapbook work, just typing, which I'm pretty good at. I can't make any promises about my grammar or spelling, haha.

So, I figured my very first blog I should start with the very first recipe I mastered, French Toast. I used to be a horrendous cook. One of the first meals I tried to pull off for Jon (my fiance) was a Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. After 4 hours in the oven, the outside of the chicken was like rubber, the inside was bleeding and the rice was stuck to the bottom. We were starving so we threw away the chicken and braved through the overcooked recipe. Jon is definitely a keeper. I attempted it again a few years later and realized my mistake before was not foiling it before putting it in the oven.

Anyways, even though I couldn't cook chicken to save my life, I was always amazing at French Toast. Anytime I'd stay over a friends house or go on a trip with the family, I would make French Toast for one of the breakfasts. I've experimented over the years and finally came up with what I think is amazing French Toast. I usually make it with wheat toast because I always have that on hand, but it is also amazing with Sweet Bread. The recipe below serves 14 slices of standard wheat toast.

Please give me feedback if you do try it out at cookingwithcait@gmail.com . I swear I'm not that much of a loser that I created an email for a blog no one will read besides my friends. However, you need a gmail email to start the blog. :)

Amaretto French Toast with Cream Cheese Icing

12-14 slices of bread, depending upon thickness

2 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Amaretto liquor
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

8oz softened cream cheese
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp Amaretto liquor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat griddle or skillet with butter or cooking spray and heat to medium. Mix milk, eggs, flour, sugar, Amaretto, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and nutmeg together in large mixing bowl. Turn each slice of bread to coat in batter and transfer to skillet. Cook toast to golden brown and transfer to baking sheet in oven to keep warm while remaining cook.

For cream cheese icing, beat softened cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add sifted powdered sugar and beat in. Beat in both vanilla extract and Amaretto.

I usually take the cream cheese icing and make french toast sandwiches with cream cheese in the middle, but you can also use it over the french toast in place of syrup. Or you can skip the icing altogether and enjoy with good ole maple syrup! Enjoy and don't forget to send in your feedback, pictures, etc! cookingwithcait@gmail.com

2 Slices without Cream Cheese Icing is 306 Calories
Cream Cheese Icing has 183 calories per serving, 14 servings in recipe.

About the Blogger...

So, hey, this is me! I'm Cait. I've never really been good at these things where you talk about yourself, so I apologize for the awkwardness that is about to commence.

I am originally from East Freetown, MA. I moved in April 2009 to beautiful Kahuku, HI. I actually do enjoy long walks on the beach, no joke. I usually enjoy taking these long walks on the beach with my husband, Jonathan and our two precious dogs, Lei Lei and Savannah. Jon and I have been together since 2004 and got married in October 2012.

I didn't actually start cooking until around 2007. I've had many catastrophes in the kitchen, a couple small fires, more than a couple inedible dishes and plenty of ego bruises. My mission with this blog is to help anyone who thinks they can't cook, gain confidence to try to cook. My recipes are usually simple, and usually my own creation. Occasionally, I'll throw a recipe at you from my favorite cooks, mainly Rachael Ray and Paula Deen.

If you're looking for fancy food photography, you're in the wrong spot. I use a cell phone camera to capture everything from food to sunsets. Maybe someday I'll be cool enough to own a DSLR, and a set of acceptable dishes for food photography but for now I keep it simple.

I hope this gave you a little insight to who the "writer" is. Feel free to email me any questions, caitlinhowland@hotmail.com. Thank you for reading!

Recipe Index

APPETIZERS
Olive Tapenade
Parmesan Garlic Bread
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Spinach-Artichoke Dip

DESSERTS
Almond White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Apple Crumbler
Apple Cheesecake Bars
Banana Bread
Banana Bread Pudding
Black Tie Mousse Cake
Chocolate Coconut Protein Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Gooey Cake
Citrus Loaf Cake
Cookie Dough Truffles
Funfetti Cupcakes
Oatmeal Cookies with Ganache filling
Oreo Cheesecake
Orange Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
S'mores Cupcakes
S'Mores Pie
Sponge Cake
Tiramisu
Toasted Coconut Saltine Candy

ENTREES
Ahi Burgers with Sweet Chilli Mayo
Amaretto French Toast
Bacon Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Baked Ham and Cheese Spaghetti
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
BBQ Chicken Portobello Mushroom pizzas with caramelized onions
BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos
Breaded Chicken Caesar
Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Cheesy Marinara Stromboli
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
Chicken Alfredo Stromboli
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Chicken Cutlets with Pasta in Garlic Butter
Chicken Empanadas
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan Pie
Chicken Soft Tacos
Chocolate Chip Waffles
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Empire State Pizza
Feta-licious Pizza
Garlic Shrimp
Greek Meatloaf
Grilled Ahi with Soy Butter Glaze
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Ribeye Steak
Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce
Gringa Lasagna
Individual Meatloaves
Lazy Eggs Benedict
Mini Turkey Meatloaf
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Nacho Mama's Meatloaf
Pepper Jack Turkey Burgers
Philly Cheese Steaks
Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joe's
Raviolis
Roasted Turkey
Sausage & Mushroom Stuffed Shells
Shepherd's Pie
Shrimp Carbonara
Stuffed Chicken
Stuffed French Toast Casserole
Stuffed Green Peppers
Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs
Three Cheese Chicken Pasta
Turkey Burgers with Creamy Feta Dressing
Turkey Bacon Cheeseburger Calzones
Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Stuffed Zucchinis
Whole Wheat Spaghetti

SAUCES
Alfredo Sauce
Barbecue Sauce
Cheese Sauce
Enchilada Sauce
Low Sugar BBQ Sauce
Marinara Sauce

SIDE DISHES
Baked Brie with Apple Sauce
Caramelized Onions
Glazed Carrots
Mashed Potatoes
Oven Baked Parmesan Fries
Pork Fried Rice
Scalloped Potatoes
Spanish Rice
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

SOUPS
Barbecue Chili
Chicken Salsa Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Clam Chowdah
Crockpot Chicken Chili
Meat Lover's Chili
Turkey Chili
Turkey Sausage Soup

Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced

1/2 onion

1 green pepper, finely diced

1 carrot, grated

2 tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup Romano cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup granulated sugar *start with 2 tbsps, and go up depending on taste*

2 tsp dried oregano

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautee garlic, onion, green pepper, zucchini and carrot. After 2-3 minutes, add in diced tomatoes and parsley. Next, add in crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, bay leaves, Parmesan, Romano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, sugar and oregano. Bring to low boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for about 1 hour. Using blender, puree to smooth consistency.

Recipe yields about 6 cups. Each 1/2 cup serving is 95 calories!