Packers Playoff Game - What to Eat?

The Packers have a huge game this weekend after a stellar win over Dallas on Sunday! Seattle is a strong team and the Pack is going to have an uphill battle, but I have faith in my green and gold boys!

I bet there will be very few people in Wisconsin on Sunday that aren't glued to a TV and if you are one of those people, you are going to need some tasty bites to get through the game. Here are some of my past posts that feature great Packer party treats, eats and ideas.

From way back in 2011 before I realized the importance of using images in every blog post (sorry). These sliders were fabulous!

Cheddar and Guinness Dip was a huge hit at a Packer Playoff game in 2013.

 You can't go wrong with Olive & Pickle Rolls with Ham.

How about a tailgate burger party - the weather is supposed to be in the upper 30s for the weekend, bust out those grills! 

Doing a "bar" is an inexpensive way to feed a lot of people and cater to all different tastes. Taco and baked potato bars are two of my favorites.

Sloppy Joes also serve a large group and when you serve on little sweet Hawaiian buns, it's even better!

For these ideas and even more, check out my Pinterest Page. Especially the Snack Attack, Superbowl, and Crockin' Boards.  

I don't know where I'm watching the game yet or what I will be eating, but from 2 - 5 pm on Sunday, I will be off the radar and glued to a TV - GO PACK GO!

Harvest Time - Apple Cake

Fall is in full swing in Wisconsin and I am seeing apple picking and pumpkin farm trips on a lot of my Facebook friends' feeds these past weeks. I don't think I'll be making it to a pumpkin farm this year, but it was a great time last year. There are two pumpkins that my mom told me I could carve if I wanted to, so I'll work on those next week.

But I was able to use a few apples from a local orchard (Patterson's in Greenfield). I came across this recipe from Lui in Cucina through my blog searching and Pinterest and although this was called a cake, it looked like bread to me and that drew my interest.

It was a recipe that sounded simple enough that I would make it for my boyfriend while he recovers from rotator cuff surgery. I didn't remember the small step of using an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar, so I attempted it by hand.

I think I did a great job because the batter ended up looking normal.

 Mixing up the brown sugar and cinnamon was much easier :)

 And I almost forgot the flour the pan - that could have been disastrous!

Then it's as simple as combining the rest of the dry with the wet and getting it in the pan.

You put half the batter in the pan, then add half the chopped apples and half the cinnamon mixture.

 And repeat!

 On this layer you have to push in the apples a bit more so they cook into the batter.

40 minutes later and I was able to have a bite of the best apple cake I have had! It was moist and solid like a pound cake but juicy like cake.

It was gone in just a few days!

I am so thankful for places like Pinterest and blogs so I can try new recipes that I wouldn't have thought of on my own. Visit Lui in Cucina for the complete recipe. You won't regret it!

Move It Monday: Egg Muffins

I have been looking for healthier breakfast options as I am starting to get bored with yogurt and granola. I don't want to burn out on it and a warm breakfast on a cooler morning is always a good option to keep me warm in my freezing office.

And I'm starting my morning workouts again - my cousin and I have a bet of loser buys Starbucks on the line. #PSL for her #Chaitea for me! Today I got up and did a quick workout of crunches, lunges, squats, leg lifts, planks and pushups. I'm feeling great!

I have had this recipe on my Pinterest breakfast page for quite sometime and I used it as inspiration for my own mini crust-less quiches.

 Separating the eggs was a bit difficult as the white was really stuck to my eggs.

 I used fresh broccoli florets and stems that I steeped for just 5 minutes.

I had Aldi's brand of light Swiss cheese wedges and decided to chop up a few of those and keep the cheese light on the inside. (Note: wet the knife when cutting the wedges to make chopping easier.)

 Then you combine it all together and stir.

I didn't stir the egg whites in well enough in the beginning and had to strain them out and start over. It was a little messy, but this helped to have consistent egg muffins.

 

 At the last minute, I added some pre-cooked bacon for a little more flavor.

 And 30ish minutes later, I had beautiful egg cups.

Healthy Mini Crust-Less Quiches
4 whole eggs
2 egg whites
3 wedges light Swiss cheese, chopped (like Laughing Cow or Happy Farms)
2 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped and steeped for 5 minutes
1/4 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste
2 pieces pre-cooked bacon, sliced into 12 pieces


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray with non-stick spray 12 muffin tins. Mix eggs and white together thoroughly in a medium sized bowl. Add broccoli, milk, cheese salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Spoon into 12 muffin tins filling each cup 3/4 full - no fuller. Add 1 piece of bacon onto the top of each cup. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until egg is browned on top and is solid.

Let cool. These will last up to a week in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.

I take two to work with me and warm them in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

My mom thought of taking one to work with her and mashing it between an English muffin for an egg sandwich and make it a little more filling. I might have to try that with my next batch.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

I would love to say that this recipe is my own, but I am not creative enough to think this up. Besides Sesame Chicken and Chicken Lo Mein, Cashew Chicken is my next go-to item when I order take out Chinese food. I have had it with a white sauce before and then with a more soy based sauce and prefer that version.

So when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. And seeing as my boyfriend will eat just about anything, I have a great test subject for recipes now :)

I found it interesting that the sauce called for ketchup and in the future, I might omit this item. I think more soy and a little more teriyaki flavor would help the meal.

 You need to flour coat and saute all the chicken pieces first and then add them to the crockpot or slow cooker. It was in this stage that I realized a few pieces were probably larger than ideal, but we would make it work.

 I added some green onions for additional flavor.

 And some cilantro and celery pieces. I figured this couldn't hurt and I like seeing a little green in all my dishes.

 Then you coat everything with sauce and let the crockpot do the rest of the work.

 I stirred things up after a hour and a half on low and realized that the 3-4 hours was going to be closer to 4.5. So we bumped it up to high to speed up the process :) Tim added some chopped mushrooms at this point too.

 And Voila - add the cashews at the end, stir and you have cashew chicken. Tim made some white rice on the side and we opened a can of pineapple for a sweet touch.

Finished product was delicious but the ketchup I think left a tang I didn't feel was very Chinese-influenced! The chicken fell right apart, so even though some pieces were too large, they cut with a fork just fine. The celery, even after cooking for 3 hours, still had nice crunch. The mushrooms were lost in the flavor, so I would add them right at the end or leave them in larger pieces.

I definitely recommend this recipe and I would make it again, with some modifications to the sauce. But for a nice easy slow cooker meal, this is on my go-to list now.

Pin-It Tuesday: Cinco de Mayo

I'm recapping my Cinco de Mayo cookout that I had this past weekend with a few friends. Finally I had great weather for a party at my house. In October for my birthday, it was 35 degrees and we couldn't sit close enough to the firepit. And for 4th of July, it was 105 and we were all melting.

Sunday was a beautiful, light-breezy 70 degree Wisconsin Spring day. My friend Tiffany brought over her bean bag games and we were ready to have some fun.

I, of course, followed a Mexican theme with the food and marinated chicken for Tequila lime kabobs. I apologize for the lack of photos of the food, but I was rushing around and didn't want to contaminate my phone. But here is the recipe.

I bought 5 lbs of frozen chicken breasts and chopped them into 1 - 2 inch cubes (for skewers). I then started guestimating my ingredients to marinade it. I never follow quantities for a marinade and just do what I think is right.

Tequila
Lime juice
Purple Onion pieces
Sprite
Cumin
Adobo Spice (from Penzey's)
Onion powder
Rice Wine Vinegar

After it marinated for close to 12 hours, I skewered up the chicken putting 4-5 pieces per kabob stick (skewers soaked in water for hours to prevent burning). Then I heated up some of the extra marinade to then brush over the kabobs on the grill.

I had about 20 kabobs to navigate on the grill and unfortunately a few were a little dry, but with only 2 kabobs left, there weren't many complaints.

We also made veggie kabobs that I sprinkled with a little Mural of Flavor (from Penzey's). Those were a huge hit.

But what was even a bigger hit was the cucumber salsa that I found on Facebook first and then Pinterest, which led me to this blog and the recipe. I made about 1.5 times the recipe and here are my alterations. I used dried parsley as I forgot to buy fresh, Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and diced chilis instead of a jalepeno. It was fun to make and it was gone fast at the party.

And then the fun part - cervezaritas (beer margaritas). I have had this recipe pinned on Pinterest for a long time and decided to have a little fun with it and make some different flavored cervezaritas.  Unfortunately the original website is now spam that my pin goes too, but the recipe is written right on the picture :)

I made Pear and Mango cervezaritas. The water and 7Up are replaced with a 12 oz can of Pear Nectar or Mango Nectar. I found these at the local Mexican grocery store in Waukesha called Panos. They had a lot of flavors but I just tried those two. I will definitely be making these more often. They are very refreshing and will be great for summer and so easy to make. I didn't even use the limeade for the second batch. 

Other treats at the party included, taco dip, cheesy black bean dip, spicy Mexican rice, guacamole and tortilla chips, Ruffle chips and french onion dip, fresh fruit, cheese and sausage, oreo gooey balls and brownies with ice cream!

Of course, because it is Wisconsin, we all overdosed on the sun and got a little burnt. But then we had a fire to help keep us warm into the night. I hear we are in for a wicked summer of mosquitoes and such so we have to enjoy it while we can! 

Pin-It Tuesday: Low Fat Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have made this soup three times now and each time, I love it more and more. I can barely tell that it is a healthy version of my favorite soup. I have had this soup for lunch at work or for dinner with a side to fill me up a bit more.

I found this recipe on my beloved Pinterest which then led me to this amazing blog.  Seriously check out her blog - it's amazing.

I did change a few things from her original recipe, but either way, it's an amazing soup. Below is a picture version of how it went down :)

Simmer

Mushrooms sauteing to add!

carrot added too!

Used fresh broccoli

cheese and thickener added

Saved some from the WhipperDoodle

It's "WhipperDoodle" Time!!! I love my immersion blender!

Added some ham as well

Finite!

With a mock-Red Lobster biscuit - mmmmm!