Crock Pot Cheesy Tortellini

If y'all want a super delicious and quick recipe try this Cheesy Tortellini Crock Pot recipe! The prep time takes less than twenty minutes and four hours later you have a great dish everyone will enjoy.

Crock Pot CheesyTortellini

Ingredients

• 1 Package Barilla Tortellini
• 3-4 Chick Breast
• 1 Jar Pre-made pasta sauce
• 1 8 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can of olives
• 1 8 oz ricotta cheese
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups spinach 
• ½ cup chopped onion

Instructions

1. Cook chicken breast till pink is starting to show. Add onions, spinach, and mushrooms for 2-4 minutes.
2. Drain all ingredients.
3. In separate bowl mix together ricotta cheese, pre-made pasta sauce, and crushed tomatoes until they make a thick paste.
4. Add all ingredients and remaining ingredients into the crockpot and stir thoroughly.
5. Set on low for 4-6 hours.

Crock-Pot Bread

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in posts, been busy with summer classes and work. But today I had time to make a loaf of bread in the crock-pot ( fantastic idea, I know!). This is the second or third time I've made this and each time it comes out great!

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar

Diretctions: 

In a large mixing bowl combine warm water, yeast, sugar and salt. Let stand for five-eight minutes. Stir in the first cup of half flour and stir with a heavy spoon or spatula. Add the flour a little at a time until dough becomes to stiff to stir. Continue adding flour and begin to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Set the dough aside and grease another medium sized bowl. Let dough rise for thirty minutes to an hour in the greased medium bowl. Uncover bowl, sprinkle a little bit of flour onto the dough and form into a ball. Place the dough ball into a greased crock pot. Turn the crock pot on low and let the bread rise as the crock pot heats up. Keep the lid cracked so steam doesn't make the crust soggy.
Cook for one hour on one side. Remove the dough and place on a wire rack. Place the dough back in the crock pot on the opposite side. Cook for another hour with the lid cracked. Remove from crock pot and let cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!





The bread always turns out looking like a squished brain but if it taste good then I'm ok with that! Add some olive oil and pepper for a good dipping sauce for pasta night!

Until next time,
Rachel.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I have been wrapping up my Spring semester and all the crazy shenanigans that goes with it. But I had time today to bake a Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (yum!)

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 TBSP vanilla
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips ( I use almost 2 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray/Grease 9in loaf pan.
2. In a bowl. whisk flour and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Approx 5 minutes.
4. Slowly, add in eggs, yolks and vanilla.  Beat until fluffy. About another 3 minutes.
5. Add flour mixture in gradually.  Beat on low until combined.
6. Fold in chocolate chips.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
8. Let cake cool for 20-30 minutes before removing from pan.

Hope everyone's Summer has started off well! Let me know y'all's plans!

Grape Chicken Salad Sandwhich

 Who want's a super fast and delicious lunch dish? I love sandwiches that have a variety of flavors and textures and this grape chicken salad sandwich is a perfect example. It's creamy and rich and I love getting the bites of texture from the pecans and celery! 

Ingredients:

1 Can of Chicken Broth
2-3 Skinless Chicken Breast
2-3 Celery Stocks 
Handful of Purple Grapes, Sliced
Handful of Chopped Pecan's
1/2 Cup of Mayonnaise ( or more depending on the amount you prefer)
Croissants ( or any bread)

Directions:

1. Pour the can of chicken broth into a saucepan and place the chicken inside. Boil the chicken for 10-15 minutes until fully cooked.
2. Drain the chicken and cut into extremely small slivers.
3. Chop the celery, grapes and pecans into small bite sizes.
4.) In a large bowl mix together the chicken, celery, grapes, and pecans. Scoop in the 1/2 cup of mayo and stir all of the ingredients thoroughly.
5.) Scoop the mixture onto your croissants. 



This recipe is great because you can add more or less of each ingredient just depending on your particular taste. Do y'all have a go-to sandwich recipe? 

Until our next dish, Rachel.

Brown Sugar Cookies with a Browned Butter Frosting

If you haven't already noticed I think I have a massive sweet tooth going on lately and I just want to bake everything! Sweet, salty, or savory I just wan't to bake them all. I think I may have Spring fever and I'm just going stir crazy. Regardless, these brown sugar cookies are a must any season.

  Ingredients:

• 14 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Frosting Ingredients:
•   1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
•   3 tablespoons butter
•   1/4 cup milk
•   2 cups sifted powdered sugar

     Directions:

                Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

1. Stir butter, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Stir in egg and vanilla until combined. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda to bowl and stir until combined.
2. Scoop 1/4 cup sized balls of dough onto baking sheets (7 to 8 per pan). .Bake until tops have puffed and cracked, and edges are golden, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
3. For Icing:

1. Combine brown sugar and butter in small saucepan over medium heat.

2. Bring to a boil and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mixture will slightly thicken.

3. With hand mixer beat in milk until smooth ( I just used a whisk). Slowly add in powdered sugar until spreadable consistency.

4. Spread approx 1 teaspoon on each cookie.
5. 
   

They came out shaped kinda wonky but they taste fabulous so that's fine in my book!

Until our next dish, Rachel.

Homemade Grape Jelly

It's such a gorgeous day here I just wanted to make a bright and delicious dish. So I decided to make Grape Jelly! Why I really like making this dish is that I know exactly what components goes into it and there's a feeling of accomplishment when it's complete.

 

     Wanted to share the scenery while the grapes and apple simmered.

Ingredients:

4 Pounds Concord Grapes
1 Granny Smith Apple
2 1/4 Cups Sugar

Directions:

1. Put the grapes and apple in a large pot and add 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat until very juicy, about 10 minutes. Strain the juice through a fine sieve set over a large bowl.
2. Strain the juice again through several layers of dampened cheesecloth, without pressing or squeezing; you should have 3 cups.
3. In a very large saucepan, boil the grape juice and sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until the jelly falls off a cool spoon in sheets and registers 220° on an instant-read thermometer, about 18 minutes.
4. Pour the jelly into hot, sterilized canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the rims. Seal. Submerge the jars in a pot of water and boil for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the jars and let cool. Check the jar lids to make sure they are fully sealed; refrigerate any jars with imperfect seals.

Do y'all make any homemade jams or jellies?

Until our next dish, Rachel.

Sweet Potato Muffins, Oh My!

I had a couple of sweet potato's and I didn't just want to do the boring sweet potato casserole or bread so I got onto Pintrest and found an auh-mazing recipe! Sweet Potato Muffins with a Pecan Streusel Topping. I opted the pecans on the topping because I didn't have time to run to the store for them, but they turned out fine even without them.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup sour cream (full or reduced fat)
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup baked sweet potato mash
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• For the Pecan Streusel Topping:
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the sour cream, oil, and sweet potato mash and stir well. Mix in the brown sugar and vanilla. The batter will be frothy and kind of fluffy at this point.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
4. Stir until just combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups.
6. In a small bowl crumble together the softened butter, chopped pecans, flour, and sugar. Sprinkle the topping over all the muffins. Be liberal with it! Use it all up.
7. Bake for 18 – 20 mins.

So, I had left over cupcake liners from Halloween so I figured what the heck let's not waste em'!


Until next time, Rachel.

Eggs Lorraine

A really quick and easy breakfast dish I like to prepare is Eggs Lorraine. I'm always in a hurry in the mornings to get to class on time so this dish is perfect for a hectic morning because you just layer the ingredients on top of each other. This dish is by Taste of Home and I swapped out the bacon and cheese for the types I prefer.

Ingredients:

4 Slices Canadian Bacon ( I used Applewood Bacon)

2 Slices Swiss Chess (I used American)

4 Eggs ( I used only two since I only made a single serving)

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Pepper

Optional: Chives, Minced

Directions:

1. Coat two shallow oval 1-1/2-cup baking dishes with cooking spray. ( I only used one oval baking dish) Line with Canadian bacon ; top with cheese. Carefully break two eggs into each dish.
2. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, salt and pepper until smooth; drop by teaspoonfuls onto eggs.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until eggs are completely set. Sprinkle with chives if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

This dish goes great with a cup of coffee or tea and it's such a tasty and easy-to-do dish everybody will enjoy. 

Tell me your easy to make breakfast dishes!

Wednesday Wishlist

It can't hurt to dream about owning all of these fabulous items, is it? This is my first time doing a wishlist and it was so easy to put it together all thanks to the team at StyleSets. I love bright and colorful kitchen decor, utensils, and just plan fun knick-knacks!

1. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

This is my ultimate dream kitchen appliance! I love the variety of colors that they can come in and it's just a personal goal to be able to afford to purchase it myself. 

2.Williams and Sonoma Monogram Beverage Bucket 

The beverage bucket is such a cute and fun way to display your drinks at a party or game day. I love that you can personalize it with your initials and who doesn't like monogramming everything they own?

3.Anthropologie Apron

Being a huge fan of anything Anthropologie I absolutely adore their kitchen section and when I saw this adorable apron I knew I had to have it. The simple but flattering apron would suit my kitchen and I perfectly. (:

4.Kate Spade Salt and Pepper Shakers

How stinkin' cute are these salt and pepper shakers? I love that they're animals and not the traditional boring shakers. It would be a fun and quirky addition to anyone's kitchen.

5.Tory Burch Wine Opener

Who knew Tory Burch sold wine openers?!? I love that it has the Tory Burch logo on it and the bright gold color is just lovely. I could see many wines being opened with this cute opener.

So, that completes my very first Wednesday Wishlist! I hope to eventually have my hands on a couple of these items but until then I'll just have to keep daydreaming about them.

What's on your Wishlist?

Kitchen dreams with Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Williams-Sonoma

Candy Pecans

Who doesn't have a sweet tooth? If I'm craving something a little sweet a little salty I turn to a super quick and easy candy pecan recipe, courtesy of my sister. (Thanks Hannah!) 

One of the reasons I love this recipe is that is uses minimal ingredients and once I'm done preparing it the next step is to just pop it into the oven for an hour and wa-la done! And the greatest part, your home smells so good while its baking!

Ingredients

4 Cups Pecans

1 tbsp Cinnamon and Sugar 

2 Egg Whites

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

Preheat Oven to 225°F

1.)Take both egg whites and beat until foamy

2.)Pour egg whites over the 4 cups of pecans

3.)Stir till all the pecans are evenly coated

4.)Add 1 cup of brown sugar, tablespoon of cinnamon and sugar,teaspoon of salt, and vanilla extract

5.)Stir till the pecans are evenly coated

6.)Bake in the over at 225°F for an hour

I like to pile the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon on top of the brown sugar that way its easier to fold onto the pecans.

After all the ingredients have been evenly mixed together it's time for the oven.

These little bad boys pack a flavor overload! Sweet and salty, they hit the sweet tooth craving head on.




Tell me your quick and easy go-to sweet recipe! 

Lunch time greens

My favorite lunch time meal is a fresh salad! I love adding a variety of textures and flavors to give it not only a pop of color but the overall taste is superb. Fresh strawberries and blueberries are low in calories and high in antioxidants and I try to eat a handful each day- if not in a salad then with my breakfast.

This is one of my go-to salads I like to make once a week. Freshly chopped lettuce with pine nuts, sesame sticks, raisins, strawberries, blueberries, and sliced cucumbers then I like to drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it and it is complete. Bon appetit!

Welcome!

Hello there lovelies! I'd just like to break the ice by saying my purpose here on this blog. I'm a twenty-ish college student who is passionate about healthy eating, working out, and maintaining a healthy active lifestyle. I think there is no better way to starting a blog than by sharing how I kick start each of my days!

Each morning (reluctantly) I fumble my way downstairs and get my kettle boiling to enjoy a cup of tea. It gives me time to reflect on my tasks for the day while giving my body a super boost of energy.

Now that we've been introduced leave me a comment on how you start your mornings!

xoxo
RMH