Frosting

Halloween is my step-father-in-law's birthday and they were coming over to pick something up from my hubby so I decided to make him a cake. I didn't have much time to throw together a cake from scratch so I just whipped up a double layer boxed cake. But what I did have time for was the frosting! I found a very simple chocolate butter cream frosting. Most butter cream frostings take over 80 minutes to make because you have to get the mixture to a certain temperate, cool it down to another temperature, and then reheat it, and so on. Very time consuming! So I searched high and low for a butter cream recipe that didn't require the use of a thermometer and constant watching. I found the BEST recipe ever! And here it is for you to enjoy!

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• pinch of salt
• 5 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 4 tablespoons milk (add more if needed until you get it to the consistency you want)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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• *Note: This is enough frosting for a 9x13 cake or a double layer cake.
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• In small bowl mix at medium speed, sugar, butter (softened), and salt until light and fluffy.
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• Add melted chocolate, milk and vanilla extract, beating until well blended. If the frosting seems too thick to spread, now is the time to add more milk, a little at a time, until it gets thin enough to spread.

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Chicken Lasagna

I love lasagna but most recipes used ground beef and ricotta cheese, both of which I don't like. I found this amazing recipe for chicken lasagna that I tweaked a bit and below is my take on chicken lasagna. Be careful, it goes fast!

Chicken Lasagna

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast (or 2 cups cooked chicken)

9 lasagna noodles

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add the chicken. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 with an instant read thermometer. About 20 minutes. Remove from water and shred.

Meanwhile, bring another large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix the chicken, cream cheese, oregano, salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the cheese.

Spread a thin layer of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Next put down a layer of noodles, then a layer of meat, a layer of sauce and so on. Once you have laid your last layer of noodles, add the remaining sauce and top with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes, remove the tin foil and continue baking for 20 more minutes.

Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Comfort Food

Fall is my favorite food season. I love all of the warm comforting food and their smells. One dish that I love to make in the fall is chicken pot pie. I don't always have time to make the full, long version so I found a recipe from Bisquick that hits the spot on a chilly night when you want food on the table fast! I used the heart healthy Bisquick so it's not so fattening and carb heavy as the original Bisquick. Trust me. This is quick, easy, and way good!

Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie

1 c. cooked, shredded chicken

1 2/3 c. frozen mixed vegetables (I used leftover roasted potato, carrots, celery, & onion from the night before.)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt & pepper to taste

1 c. Bisquick healthy heart mix (You can use the original mix if that's what you've got.)

1/2 c. skim milk

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the chicken, vegetables, soup, oregano, and salt & pepper in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate.

In a medium bowl stir remaining ingredients together. Pour on top of mixture in pie plate.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

I'm baaack! With food!

Well, it's been over 7 months since I've posted a recipe. That is FAR too long and I apologize! I have made many new recipes in the past 7 months and I've finally found the time to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them!

This recipe is for the most recent dish I've made. It's shepherd's pie! My hubby loves shepherd's pie from this Irish place we go to so I decided to make him a quick version of it since we haven't been to that restaurant in a long time.

Shepherd's Pie

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 onion, chopped

2-3 stalks celery, chopped small

1lb. ground beef

1 clove minced garlic

salt & pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

2 c. frozen corn, thawed

mashed potatoes (about 5 russets cooked, mashed, and seasoned how you like)

2 c. shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery, stirring until the onion is sweated out a bit. About 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste the last 30 seconds of browning. Drain the meat mixture well.

In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture with the mushroom soup and dried thyme. Taste to make sure it is well seasoned and add salt and pepper if needed. Then dump this into the 9x13 pan and spread out. Spread the corn out on top of the meat and then top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and then serve.