I have really been craving some chili lately. We’ve had some cold nights over the past week and I officially declared it a one-pot meal night! There was one problem with my chili plan. My husband informed that he does not like chili! What?! Who doesn’t like chili?! We needed a compromise. I thought that maybe making a white chili with different ingredients might be more appealing to him since it didn’t have the same ingredients as traditional chili recipes.
So, did he like it? Yes, he did! I like it too. This chili has the perfect amount of spice and it was very flavorful! I think I actually liked it more than my traditional chili recipe. Definitely making this one again!
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onion and cook until it is translucent (3-5 mins.). Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Break the chicken up and continue stirring until the chicken is fully cooked (about 8-10 minutes). Add the flour to the chicken. Add the beans, corn, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and stir the mixture, making sure to scrap the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 60 minutes until the liquid reduced by about half and has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve
If you read my blog regularly, you’ve probably heard me say that my husband is a buffalo chicken fanatic. Buffalo chicken sandwiches, buffalo chicken pizzas, and now, buffalo mac and cheese. I made this dish on the fly one night and it was a total hit with the Hubs. He immediately declared it one of his favorite meals that I have ever made. I was really surprised considering I had no recipe when I made this and wasn’t sure how it would turn out.
Now, if you’ve heard me say that my husband is a buffalo chicken fanatic, you’ve also probably heard me say that I am not as big of a fan. It’s not that I hate it, it’s just not my favorite. This mac and cheese was really tasty, but it is rich. Eat this buffalo mac with caution! For those of you who are little more health-conscious, fear not! I actually prepared myself a low-carb and low-fat pumpkin mac and cheese. I will share that recipe with you next week! Until then, have a great weekend everyone!
Oh, and if you have not done so already, please check out my post from earlier this week , The Perfect Tailgate Pasta Salad, I would really appreciate it if you all could check it out as I am trying to help my dear friend raise money by selling awesome pastas for her daughter’s school, The Katzenbach School for the Deaf in New Jersey!
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients:
– 1/2 lb. pasta (elbow, rotini, shells, or farfalle works!)
– 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
– 2 tbs. unsalted butter
– 2 tbs. flour
– 2 cups milk
– 2 cups cheddar cheese
– 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
– 3/4 cup buffalo sauce (I like Frank’s Buffalo sauce)
– 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
– salt and pepper to taste
– 1/2 to 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
– Optional: blue cheese crumbles
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until it is slightly al dente. While the pasta is cooking, you can start the cheese sauce. In a separate sauce pan, heat the butter on medium heat. Once it is mostly melted, add the flour and stir about 2 minutes. Add the milk and whisk until the flour is broken up. Add the cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Whisk continuously until the cheese is melted. Add 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Drain the pasta and add to a baking dish. Add the chicken. Pour the cheese over the sauce and mix until it is fully incorporated with the pasta (you may have a little extra left over, which I did, and just didn’t use). Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of the buffalo sauce over the pasta (you can use more if you want). Sprinkle the panko evenly over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the bread crumbs have browned on top.
Last week, my good friend Raquel told me about a fundraiser that her daughter’s school was having so that they could afford to go on their first class trip. In order to raise the money, the Katzenbach School for the Deaf is selling pasta! But, this is no ordinary pasta! No, no, it’s FUN pasta! And when Raquel told me that they had Seminole pasta, I HAD to buy it!
How fun is that?! I am totally loving these little Chief Osceola heads!
The school is not only selling collegiate-themed pastas, but they also have fun holiday pastas and other hobbies (like dance, golf, cats, dogs, oh my!). The pasta is so fun and affordable and would make GREAT holiday stocking stuffers and gifts for your loved ones! Please see the link, along with a note from Raquel below about the fundraiser:
The Early Childhood Program at The New Jersey School for the Deaf is raising money so that their little ones can finally go on a trip this year! The school earns 40% of all online sales. This is my daughter’s 2nd year enrolled in the program and because funds have been tight, she and her classmates haven’t been able to go on a field trip. For more information on the Early Childhood program, please visit this link! Thank you! Raquel Parker
If you are interested in buying some of this awesome pasta for a great cause, CLICK HERE! Then click the yellow button at the top that says “Shop Now”. The deadline for orders is November 14th.
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Now, onto this pasta salad. The pasta actually came with it’s own seasoning packet, but I wanted to share my favorite pasta salad recipe with you all so I am going to save the packet for another time. This pasta salad recipe is light and lower in fat compared to pasta salads that use mayo. I guess you can say this is an Italian style pasta salad! Just some EVOO and vinegars is all you really need! This pasta salad is perfect for tailgating because it is so easy to make and it does not require any refrigeration (though, if you plan to leave it out for an extended period of time, you may want to leave out the cheese and meat). I threw in some black olives, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese into mine, but you could use any of your favorite ingredients for this recipe!
The Perfect Tailgate Pasta Salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients for the pasta:
– 1 lb. pasta, rinsed and drained (you can use any pasta for this!)
– 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
– 2 cups mozzarella cheese, diced into small cubes
– 2 cups black olives, sliced
– 2 tbs. parsley, chopped
– Optional: Diced pepperoni and/or salami
Ingredients for the dressing:
– 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
– 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
– 2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
– 1 tbs. lemon juice
– salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, tomatoes, olives, cheese, and parsley. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the pasta and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours (or overnight).
This weekend, we drove down to Orlando to spend the weekend with my mom, stepdad, and little brother. Although Thanksgiving is going to be here soon, I haven’t made a visit home since early September and I just needed some family time NOW! My mom told me about this recipe last week and she wanted to make it again this weekend so I could share it with all of you!
This salad is refreshing and really easy to make! It’s more of a summer dish, but I live in Florida, so I think we can still get away with some lighter dishes! My mom and I ate this for lunch, but it would also make a great side dish! If you aren’t a fan of shrimp, I bet this would also be good with some shredded rotisserie chicken!
Shrimp and Bulgur Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
– 1 cup bulgur
– 2 cups cooked baby shrimp (thaw if frozen)
– 4 tbs. pitted green olives (or kalamata olives)
– 6-8 grape tomatoes, sliced and diced
– 2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
– 4 tbs. Italian parsley, minced
– 4 tsp. white wine vinegar
– 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper to taste
– Optional: 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Directions:
1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add in the bulgur. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Let stand for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is chewy. Add to a medium-sized bowl and let cool.
2. Add shrimp, olives, tomatoes, scallions, and the parsley to the bowl and mix everything together. Combine the olive oil (and cumin) with the salad and season with salt and pepper.
Ah, Bang Bang Shrimp. If you have ever been to Bonefish Grill, then you know what I am talking about. I know this because I guarantee you that when you walk into a Bonefish Grill, you will see a plate of Bang Bang Shrimp sitting on everyone’s table. It is that good. For those of you who have never been to Bonefish Grill and don’t know what the heck I am talking about, Bang Bang Shrimp is this amazing appetizer that they serve. Delicious, crispy shrimp that is covered in a creamy and spicy sauce. SO good! The Hubs and I never order appetizers when we go out to eat, but rest assured, when we go to Bonefish, we order this shrimp.
I’ve been wanting to make it at home for some time. So, I hit up the interwebz in search of a good copycat recipe. I found a few that claimed they were the best and closet recipe to the original. Even before looking at the recipes, I knew that there are two major problems with Bang Bang Shrimp: 1. It’s fried, and 2. It’s covered in full-fat mayo. Both of these things had to go. So I took a recipe I found and attempted to lighten it up by baking the shrimp in the oven to avoid the frying process and I also used reduced-fat mayo made with olive oil.
So, is this recipe a perfect copycat? No. Don’t get me wrong, it was good. Hubs loved it. But, I didn’t think the sauce tasted exactly like the Bonefish version. It was close, but not exact. This could be because of the low-fat mayo I used or the brand of the other ingredients that I used. I’ll make it again though! If you are going to eat this as a meal, I recommend serving it with veggies and/or steamed rice!
– 1/2 cup reduced fat mayo (I used the kind made with olive oil)
– 1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
– 3 drops Sriracha hot chili sauce (or to taste)
– Optional: Chopped scallions for garnishing
Directions:
1. Combine the mayo and Thai sweet chili sauce in a large bowl. Add the sriracha to taste. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the tails off of the shrimp. Combine the eggs and milk in a bowl, whisk together. Combine the panko, cornstarch, and salt in another bowl. Spray a oven-safe baking rack with non-stick spray. Dip each piece of shrimp into the egg and milk mixture and then dredge in the panko and cornstarch. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on the baking rack. Spray the top of the shrimp with non-stick spray. Bake for about 10 minutes. Gently flip the shrimp over and spray the other side with non-stick spray. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the breading has turned golden brown on both sides. Add the shrimp to the bowl with the sauce and stir in until the shrimp is evenly covered in the sauce. Be careful not to knock off all the breading. Serve!
I was a little hesitant to post these recipes since now that Halloween is over and most of you are probably done digging into pumpkins, but you know what? Pumpkin season is not over! So, for those of you who are still planning on cutting into pumpkins (or butternut squash!) for your cooking and baking needs, this is for you!
After carving our massive pumpkins, I had a good 4 cups worth of pumpkin seeds. Since we already had enough sweets in our house, I didn’t want to make these sweet, so I hit up my spice cabinet to see what I had. Since I had so many pumpkin seeds, I figured it would nice to try more than one recipe, so I made two different kinds: Rosemary Garlic and then Spicy! For both recipes, I recommend that after rinsing them, lay them in a single layer on a towel to dry over night.
– 1 tbs. rosemary (you can use dried or fresh, but fresh would be better. Sadly, I only had dried at the time…)
– pinch of pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, add the pumpkin seeds and then all of the other ingredients. Stir ingredients together until the pumpkin seeds are well-coated. Spread onto an even layer on the baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, stirring the seeds with a spatula every 15 minutes.
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
– 2 cups rinsed and dried pumpkin seeds
– 1 tbs. olive oil
– 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
– 1 tsp. sea salt
– 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
– 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
– Optional: 1/8-1/4 tsp. chili powder
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, add the pumpkin seeds and then all of the other ingredients. Stir ingredients together until the pumpkin seeds are well-coated. Spread onto an even layer on the baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, stirring the seeds with a spatula every 15 minutes.
Welcome to Eat. Drink. Love.! My name is Stephanie. Here you will find healthy and easy recipes with a few indulgences thrown in for good measure! Why the name Eat. Drink. Love.? Well, I think this is what life is all about!
