Man Pleasing Chicken {{Secret Recipe Club}}

Happy Monday Folks! :)
It's time for another fun installment of the Secret Recipe Club!
This month, I was assigned a super amazingly beautiful blog. Debby from A Feast for the Eyes describes her page as " Take one recipe blog, and add a passion for cooking a garnish of beginning gardening and a dash of travel". Seriously, her page is full of so many wonderful recipes! Her recipes are organized so wonderfully!
I had a hard time deciding what to make. She has great choices such as Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins, Crispy Fish Tacos, and Pan Seared Scallops and Pasta!


I chose to make the recipe on her blog for "Man Pleasing Chicken" She touts that it applies to Moms, Women, and Wives as well :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed well (mine had 8 pieces)
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbs rice vinegar





Preheat oven to 450. Line 9x13 baking dish with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Lightly salt and pepper chicken and place in baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl and pour over the chicken, coating well. Bake for 30-40  minutes, until cooked through, basting the chicken in the sauce about 1/2 way through. Sprinkle with your choice of herbs. I used Dried Thyme

Serve and Enjoy. This was indeed Man Pleasing Chicken :) Ed intentionally didn't eat as much as he wanted to so he could save some to take to work with him for dinner a few nights this week! I also thought it was good and I will try making it again. I think I will add some garlic to it, to increase the savory spice a bit, and I was to try it with Chicken Breast instead of thighs to cut the Points down some. It was really really yummy and super moist. I know my BFF Lorin would LOVE this :)

the Points Plus Breakdown for this recipe is as follows:

Serves 8 @ 8 PPV

Serves 6 @ 11 PPV

Serves 4 @ 16 PPV

Some of the fat cooks out of the chicken but I don't feel comfortable adjusting the points based on that :) have yourself some zero point veggies and call it a night :)

Check out the linky below for more great recipes!

Squash Pudding {Secret Recipe Club}

It is unbelievable that it is June already! That means it is time for another Secret Recipe Club Post! This is such a great group of bloggers where each month we are secretly assigned another blogger from our group, so that we can visit their blog and recreate one of their recipes! This month, I had the pleasure of browsing Julie's blog Little Bit of Everything She participates in all sorts of neat challenge groups, and that was fun to read about. I have about 6 of her other recipes bookmarked to try later :) I eventually decided I needed to make her Squash Pudding. I wasn't really sure what size pan to use, so I baked mine in 2 8x8'sThank you for allowing me over to your blog Julie! I look forward to trying more of your recipes soon!


Ingredients:
2 3/4 lb yellow squash, peeled and sliced
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup white flour
1 1tsp vanilla
1/4 + 1/8 cup brown sugar blend
sprinkle of cinnamon and allspice


Preheat oven to 350 Spray glass baking dish (2- 8x8 or 1 9x13) with cooking spray. Boil squash until tender and drain well ( I don't think I drained mine well enough as it never really set, but this could be the correct consistency) . In your blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour in to prepared backing dish and bake for 30-45 minutes or until edges are brown.

This turned out quite yummy, though I wasn't sure of what the final consistency should have been. It was pudding-ish though :) I think I will try and remake this again in the future, better draining the squash and reducing some of the sweetener,  but over all i was impressed I could turn veggies in to something this unique :)

Serves 8 @ 3PPV
Serves 6 @ 4 PPV
Serves 4 @ 5 PPV

Check out the linky below for more great Secret Recipe Club posts!!!




Linked at Fit and Fab Fridays

Peanut Butter Banana Bread {Secret Recipe Club}

Another month, with another wonderful Secret Recipe Club assignment! If you are new to my blog and are unsure of what the Secret Recipe Club is, each month the members are secretly assigned another member from the group, and then we go and find an irresistible recipe to recreate and post on our own blog.  It is so much fun to browse through the other blogs and find awesomely wonderful recipes to make :)  A big shout out to Amanda, the founder of this wonderful club, and to Suzanne, the hostess of group B who helps us keep all of our stuff together :).


This month, I was assigned Allison's Blog, Sweet Flours. Allison is from the West Coast and she also has another blog site called Have the Cake. I highly suggest checking out both pages!  Her blog is full of so many wonderful recipes, with such a great variety of ingredients, I was having trouble choosing! Would it be the Pepperoni Pizza Puffs, Pesto Meatballs, or Jalapeno Sausage Cheese and Egg Braid? I actually ended up baking, and making the Peanut Butter Banana Bread :) Thank you for being in the SRC Allison and allowing me the chance to wander around your blog and discover tons of yummy new recipes! <3 I didn't have an actual loaf pan, so I baked this in a 2 quart baking dish and will have wide thin slices :) Allison also added a glaze to her bread, which I decided against for the time being but I will probably try it later!


Printable Recipe
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup ground oats
1 cup white flour
1/4 ground flax seed
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


1 1/2 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/3 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
1/3 cup creamy honey roast peanut butter
2 tbs melted coconut oil


1/2 cup brown sugar blend


Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (except the sugar blend), stir til well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredient and beat til well combined. Beat the sugar blend in to the wet ingredients, then beat the wet and dry ingredients together. Pour in to baking dish ( 9x5 loaf pan or 2 quart rectangle baking dish) that has been sprayed with pan spray, smoothing the top, and bake for 50-65 or until cooked through. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Serves 20 at 3 PPV

Serves 16 at 4 PPV

Serves 12 at 5 PPV

Broccoli Gratin {Secret Recipe Club!}

Another month, with another wonderful Secret Recipe Club assignment! If you are new to my blog and are unsure of what the Secret Recipe Club is, each month the members are secretly assigned another member from the group, and then we go and find an irresistible recipe to recreate and post on our own blog.  It is so much fun to browse through the other blogs and find awesomely wonderful recipes to make :)  A big shout out to Amanda, the founder of this wonderful club, and to Suzanne, the hostess of group B who helps us keep all of our stuff together :).


This month, I was assigned to The Bitchin' Kitchin'. I was excited first, by Ellie's choice of blog title (childish, I know!) but once I started going through her blog, MAN OH MAN! She has got some good stuff. I will actually be posting 3 recipes from her blog this week, including the one below since I had such a hard time choosing. Other posts that caught my eye were her Strawberry Infused Vodka, Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese,  as well as her super helpful post on How to De-Seed a Pomegranate. Ellie is a laid back chick from NJ who loves to cook great food. Her posts are all unique and interesting. You should definitely check out her blog and the rest of the goodies she has posted! Thank you Ellie for having such an awesome blog and having so many wonderful options to choose from :)


The recipe that I am posting today from her blog is her Broccoli Gratin. The dish looked like a nice new take on broccoli, which we are always looking for. I followed her suggestion and made my own bread crumbs in my food processor and it turned out great. Ed loved it and said it was perfect, just enough flavor to not be plain broccoli, but not overwhelmed with a bunch of spice or too much cheese. I do think that next time I make it, I will add about 1/2 - 1 oz of shredded cheese to the broccoli part of the dish, as well as the cheese for the topping! :)  




Broccoli Gratin
Print Recipe

• 1 1/2 lbs broccoli
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 oz shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbs light butter cut in pieces

Preheat oven to 400F.
Spray the bottom of 1 1/2 - 2 quart baking dish with pan spray
Place the broccoli in salted boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until tender
Drain the broccoli and cut in to bite sized pieces. Add to baking dish
Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread the broccoli evenly in the dish.
Pour the milk over the top of the broccoli, then sprinkle with the cheese and bread crumbs.
Add the pieces of butter to the top.
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until dish is heated through and cheese is bubbly
Serve and enjoy!

Serves:
6 at 2 PPV
4 at 4 PPV
3 at 5 PPV
2 at 7 PPV

Secret Recipe Club: Rothman's Fire Breathing Salsa

It's that time again! I took a few month's off from participating in the Secret Recipe Club, and I am so glad to be back. For those who may be unfamiliar, The Secret Recipe Club is a group of bloggers that all sign up to participate, and then we are each assigned a "secret" blog that we then pick a recipe from and recreate. It is a fun way to try new things and meet other bloggers. There are so many great food blogs out there, it can be hard to keep track :) This helps set aside a little corner of the blogosphere where we can connect, create and share.

For March's assignment, I was given Smells Like Brownies. Now, I search high and low for a name on her blog but couldn't find it, so I will call her SLB :) :waves: I did learn that she hates fruit :) But does love to cook! I had such a good time thumbing through her posts and had a hard time choosing :) Some of the other contenders were Ricotta Muffins, Spicy Tuna Burgers, and Quinoa Patties with Poached Eggs. I finally decided to make the salsa recipe since both Ed and I love the salsa  and I have been wanting to try my hand at it for a while.  Now this makes A LOT of salsa :) so make sure you have a fairly decent sized bowl for the final mixing!

Ingredients:
1 large Red onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 jalapeno peppers
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup lime juice
3 large garlic cloves, minced

Combine the peppers (I left all the seeds in mine, just removed the stem), onion and cilantro in food processor and process until smooth. In a large mixing bowl combine the puree and the remaining ingredients, stirring well.

For best result SLB suggests to cover and let the salsa sit, refrigerated, for 2 days. Ed and I both tried it after it was mixed up and we both REALLY liked it. I can't wait for a second taste after the flavors meld together some more :) Thank you SLB for having such an amazing recipe on your blog and allowing me to recreate it!





Linked at: Cinco De Mayo Recipes

Secret Recipe Club: Jalapeno Popper Chicken Burgers

Hello and welcome to my newest installment for the Secret Recipe Club! For those who may be unaware, this is a group of food bloggers that are "secretly" assigned a special blog each month to choose a recipe and recreate it in their own kitchen. Sounds like love, doesn't it? :)

I was so excited for my assignment this month. I was given The Lady Behind The Curtain. I had been following her blog for a little while and she always has such great ideas and recipes. You should check her out!

After a long decision, I finally decided to do my version of her Jalapeno Popper Burgers, delicious looking in their own right, but hubby doesn't like cream cheese. I went with a different cheese for the filling and the results were yummy.


Ingredients:
Burger:
1 lb ground chicken ( you could use 100% ground chicken breast to lighten it up some more)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp garlic pepper grinder seasoning
Filling:
4 tsp diced jalapenos, jarred with juice
1/2 cup shredded Colby and Monterrey jack cheese
Coating:
33g (or 3 servings) shake and bake coating (optional)

Preheat oven 400.
Mix Burger ingredients together, combining well.
Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well, breaking cheese in to small pieces, until it begins to stick together.
Measure burger mixture in to 5-6 equal size portions; do the same with the filling. Make flat patties out of the burger mixture and spoon one serving of the filling in to the center of each. **if the burgers don't see to want to close around the cheese, set aside some of the filling. you can place it on top of the burger when you bake it**Wrap meat around cheese and pepper until well sealed. Set aside. On a plate or something :) spread out the coating and coat each side of each burger. Place each burger on a baking sheet, sprayed with pan spray and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, turning halfway. Serve and enjoy :)

Makes 5 burger @ 5 PPV each
Makes 6 burgers @ 4 PPV each

Secret Recipe Club: Maple Ginger Pork Loin

Good Morning and welcome to my 4th installment of the Secret Recipe Club. If you are unfamiliar, each month, we are assigned a "secret" blog from which we pick  a recipe and make it. Who's blog you have stays secret to them until the reveal date. It is so much fun!

For September, I was assigned Glenda's Blog Busy At Home. She has so many great tips and tricks for all sorts of things all over the house as well as great recipes. I chose to make her Maple Glazed Pork Loin. She prepped her's to freeze and cook in the crockpot. I did the same thing, but then discoverd my baby crock pot had a crack in the bottom of it, so I baked it in the oven instead. So I pulled the loin out of the freezer and allowed it to thaw and marinade before baking.This was such a great hit! My hubby enjoyed the mash up of all the flavors!


Ingredients:
1.5 lb Boneless Pork Loin
1/2 cup BBQ sauce ( I used Kraft light)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 sweetner packets ( I used splenda)

Mix all of the ingredient, except the loin) until well combined. Place loin in a ziplock and pour the marinade over it. Freeze to cook in the crock pot, or bake later. Or you can allow it to sit in the fridge and marinade over night.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Spray an oven safe pan and pour the meat and marinade, coating the meat well. Bake covered for about 1 hour -1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover, baste and continue baking for another 15 minutes or internal temp is safe.

Allow meat to rest for about 10-15 minutes, then slice while still hot, allowing the chops to rest in the remaining marinade. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 6 servings @ 5 Points+ Each.

also linked at:
Fall Crawl Day

Secret Recipe Club: Pumpkin Granola Bars

Welcome to my third installment of the Secret Recipe Club. It is always so exciting to get my assignment, and this month I was given Big Fat Baker. I love her blog! She has so many yummy things that it was REALLY hard to chose one thing. Some of my other top picks are Strawberry Rhubarb Crostata, Pumpkin Butter, and Light Banana Bread Pudding ( I plan on making all of those at some point!)

From her blog, I chose to make her Organic Pumpkin Granola Bars
(She made hers with all organic ingredients)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8x8 or 9x9 pan, set aside.

Combine oats, spices and salt together; Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together then brown sugar, pumpkin, honey and vanilla til smooth.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until all of the oats are moist. Evenly press oat mixture in the the bottom of the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Let them cool, then cut them using a sharp knife.

Makes 10 bars @ 4 Points+ each
or
8 Bars @ 5 Points+ each

I really enjoyed these! They came out soft and chewy. Depending on how you like your spices, you might want to tone down the allspice or the cloves. I thought these were great!

linked at:
melt in your mouth monday
Eat at home: ingredient spotlight PUMPKIN!!

The Secret Recipe Club: Eggplant Patties

I was so excited when I stumbled upon The Secret Recipe Club! You can sign up and are assigned a blogger to go and recreate one of their recipes, then we all have a posting party to see what everyone else has made, and who made what from your own blog! This is my first time participating, but I know this will be a great experience.

This month, I was assigned to Trisha's blog, My Hobbie Lobbie. She cooks a lot differently than I normally do, so it was great to have the chance to look over her recipes and find something unique and different to try!

I was glad to have come across her recipe for Eggplant Patties, as I just so happen to have an eggplant that needed to be used up.

Eggplant Patties
(Makes 6)

1 eggplant, approx 350g 
1/2 egg
1 cup bread crumbs, approximately
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Crushed black pepper corns, to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the stalk of the eggplant, wash and cut into 4-6 large chunks and cook in salted boiling water until just about soft. ( I diced mine)

Mash it and add the breadcrumbs, egg, ginger, garlic, salt, cumin powder, chilly powder, crushed black pepper and mix well. You will need to adjust the quantity of bread crumbs used, based on how wet the batter is. The batter needs to be stiff enough to shape into round patties.

Dampen you hands with a little water so that the batter doesn't stick to it. Shape into round patties. 

Heat  oil in a pan and shallow fry the patties till they are a lovely golden brown.

Serve hot.

4 Points+ for each patty! These were GOOD. Ed ate one then asked if he could take one to work with lunch tomorrow! :) I am ever so please and glad I was able to participate in the Secret Recipe Club. Until next time.... =)

Linked up :
Meat Free Monday