1-Minute Frozen Yogurt

Photo courtesy of Jamie Oliver

You know those nights when you're craving something sweet and cold late at night, but just can't justify getting into your car for a DQ run? Not to mention the calories-guilt when you're done binging?

Don't ask me how I know about this.....

Well, here is a quick and healthy way to keep the ice cream cravings at bay.

All you need are a blender, frozen berries, yogurt (I used plain Greek) and some honey.  How simple is that?

I got this from Pinterest and Jamie Oliver.

If you have a blender like mine (read: crappy), you will need to stop a few times to mix it together.  I swear to myself every time I make something in the blender that I will invest in a new one.

Add honey/maple syrup to taste.  Use the minimum if you like a tarter yogurt and more if you like it sweeter.  You know, rocket science and all.  You can make without the mint, but it really adds a nice flavor and freshness.

1-Minute Frozen Yogurt
Serves 2

1 cup yogurt (I used plain Greek, but use any that you have)
2 cups frozen berries
1 cup fresh berries (I used blueberries)
2-3 tablespoon honey or real maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
A few Mint sprigs

Add 2 serving glasses to the freezer.

When glasses are nice and cold, add yogurt, mint and honey (or maple syrup) to blender.  Blend.  Add frozen berries and blend until combined.

Add fresh berries to the bottom of each glass and top with frozen yogurt and serve.


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Man-Pleasing Chicken

Courtesy of Witty in the City

Much like with Angry Chicken, I was compelled to make this dish solely on the name.  I mean, come on... I've got a man.... I'm trying to please him..... it appeared to be a no-brainer.  It didn't hurt that I was low on supplies and it had only 4 ingredients, all ones that I had.

Scary simple, just mix 3 ingredients together, pour over the chicken and bake.

Abe's reaction?  "Um, this chicken IS man-pleasing!"   And then proceeded to eat the extra I had made for the following day's lunch.

That's Man for Yummy.

I used bone-in thighs, but you can easily adjust to use boneless or breasts.  Just make sure to adjust your time down.  Use a meat-thermometer to check your temps.

I got this recipe from a blog called Witty in the City.

Man-Pleasing Chicken
Serves 3

1 1/2 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs
1/2 cup  dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)

Preheat oven to 450. Place chicken in a baking dish.  Combine the mustard, maple syrup and vinegar in a bowl and pour over chicken, flipping chicken to coat.

Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees.

Let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, if you feel so inclined.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Photo courtesy of Angie McGowan

Another Pinterest find for our meatless Lenten dinners.  I think it was the picture that sold me.... believe me, if I had posted the pic of what MINE looked like, you'd maybe be clicking the little red X in the corner.....

I liked it a lot, but Abe really enjoyed it, which is surprising since I'm the veggie in the family.  I think if I make it again, I might try a drizzle of balsamic over the top of the mushroom before adding the cheeses.  I thought it could use a bit of acid.

I only made one addition to the recipe, adding some garlic in.  Make sure to keep an eye on your cheese.  I didn't check mine until close to the 18 minute mark and the cheese was very brown.  Still tasted good, but not as appealing.


Here is a link to the original recipe


Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Serves 4

4 portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed
Olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella or Italian blend shredded cheese
2 – 9 oz bag fresh spinach
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper


 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub olive oil all over the outer part of your portobello mushrooms.

 Preheat a large skillet and drizzle with olive oil. Add onions, garlic, red peppers and spinach. Add salt and pepper. Saute until spinach is wilted.

 Spoon 1/4 cup ricotta cheese in each mushroom cap. Top with 1/4 of the sauteed spinach. Then 1/4 of the shredded cheese.

 Bake at 400 degrees for 18 – 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and mushrooms are tender.

Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken

Photo courtesy of Nutmegnanny.com

I was a bit slow when it came to the whole Pinterest craze.  I mean, I was still trying to figure out the new layout of my Facebook and didn't have the bandwidth to try some new fangled site.  Not to mention, I have enough places to waste my time online.

Then Lent came and I decided to meet Jimi's challenge of "So, what are YOU going to give up for Lent?" with an actual answer this year..... my beloved internet message board that time-sucks much of my free time.  Sob.  So, not to go all Civil War era and give up internet all together, I figured I had more time to check out Pinterest.  And boy, what a gold mine for recipes (not to mention, how cool is it for me to find MY site pinned?)!

This recipe sounded yummy, even to a vegetarian like me.  Sweet and spicy.  Love the marriage.  It's so simple, not to mention uses ingredients you most likely have on hand, which is perfect for weeknights. Abe loved it, but Adam found it too spicy.

The recipe called for chicken thighs, but I used breasts.  Any cut will work.  If you are using bone-in, add 5-7 minutes to cook time.  Oh, and open a window because your smoke alarm might go off, like mine did. 

The recipe came from nutmegnanny.com.

Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken
Serves 4

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 4 large boneless breasts)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix spices together and set aside.

Mix honey and cider vinegar and set aside.

Un-tuck chicken thighs so they are flat. Cover both sides in seasoning, set flat onto sheet pan. When all chicken as been seasoned put under broiler.

Cook for 5-7 minutes on one side and flip.  Cook for a 5-7 minutes on other side.  Flip again and then baste the chicken in honey/cider mixture.  Be sure to really get the chicken covered.  Add to oven again and let it cook under the broiler for a few minutes until the honey starts to thicken up and glaze.  Add an extra swipe of honey if you like your chicken nice and sticky.

Take chicken out of oven and let rest for a few minutes.


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Lemon Garlic Chicken

Photo courtesy of Ina Garten

No huge story behind this one.... simply, I was watching Barefoot Contessa and saw her make this and just knew that Abe would love it.  So, I ran to the computer... ok, who am I kidding, the computer is pretty much always nearby... and pinned this recipe on my recipe board.

And, as predicted, Abe loved it.  Jimi really liked it too.  It was so simple to make too... simple ingredients making simply delicious food.  As Ina Garten would say... can't beat that! 

The recipe called for boneless chicken breasts, but I felt like using up some bone-in chicken thighs.  It worked out perfectly.  I made sure to add 5 minutes to the cook time due to the bones. 

I served the chicken with rice to soak up the sauce and a mixed green salad.

Lemon Garlic Chicken
Serves 4

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each) (or whichever cut of chicken you have)
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 X 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices