Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

                    Delicious!  These easy and quick stuffed peppers are quickly on their way to becoming a househol favorite.  They will not end up replacing our tried and true recipe but they are a welcome variety and so tasty.  The biggest difference with this stuffed pepper prep is that the peppers are not parboiled to soften them before hand.  They are cooked at a high temperture which helps soften them up in the oven once they are filled but they will not be as soft as a traditional stuffed pepper recipe.

What You Need:

• 6 Bell Peppers (I used all colors)
• 3 Strip Steaks, cut in very thing slices (my husband excelled at this)
• Provolone Cheese, sliced
• Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped
• Red Onion, chopped

Slice each pepper in half length wise and lay in a baking dish.  Line each pepper half with a slice of Provolone Cheese.

The cheese breaks but that doesn't matter.

In a large skillet, saute the chopped onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil until they have softened.  

Can you smell the veggies?

Almost ready for the steak.

Add in the thinly sliced steak and cook until the steak is browned and the onions are transluscent.  

Fill each pepper half with the mixture.  Make sure to really mound up the filling.

Almost ready!

Top each pepper wth a slice of Provolone cheese.

Ready for the oven.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees about 20 minutes or untl the cheese is browned and melted.

Philly cheesesteak goodness.

Greek Chicken Wraps

Don't take my wrap!

My husband and I are trying to eat healthier as spring quickly approaches. This was a delicious recipe I found online and decided to give it a try. It turned out so quick and absolutely delicious. The best part is each wrap turned out to be around 350 calories.   I could've used some leftover chicken if I had any but a bag of frozen chicken breast strips works just as well.  The whole meal comes together in less than 30 minutes.

All fresh ingredients on deck.

What You Will Need:

• 1 bag frozen chicken breast strips
• Wraps - I prefer the Garden Wraps by Mission
• Cucumbers
• Grape Tomatoes
• Kalamata Olives
• Hummus
• Feta Cheese
• Sauce - I used Otria Greek Yogurt Dip in Dill
• Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Cayenne Pepper & Oregano

Chop up all the cucumbers, tomatoes & olives and toss into a bowl with the feta.  Make a light dressing with a few tablespoons of olive oil, a splash of lemon juice and a dash of cayenne pepper and oregano.  Toss it all together and taste.  Adjust the seasoning if you prefer more.  Let this sit aside and marinate while you prepare the chicken.

Freshness in a bowl

Saute the chicken with a little olive oil until browned and no longer pink.

This is the whole bag so use 2 if your are feeding more than 2 people.

The best part is that everyone gets to build their own wrap.  Remember, less is more.  Overfilling will cause your wrap to break.  You can always make two!

Smear a little hummus on the wrap.

Add on the browned chicken strips.

Top with the marinated veggies (my favorite)!.

Add a little of the yogurt sauce to finish.

Hope you enjoy one of these for yourself.  I'll leave you with a quick wrap folding lesson.  Start by fold the bottom up over the ingredients like an envelope then wrap the two sides around.  I leave the top open.

Princess Birthday Cake

My niece turning 3 called for only the best (and sweetest) of cakes.  She was also super excited to be a big sister.  This was a big moment for me because I remember being 3 and learning how to make a cake with my grandmother thus kicking off my love of baking and all things food.

Caidyn & I reaping the joy of making homemade butter cream icing.

My little princess had requested a princess themed cake so I decided to make a cake out of cupcakes that she would help me ice and prepare.  This is one time where I went for quick my using a box cake mix and following the directions on the box for making cupcakes.  Its the decorations and icing technique I'm focusing on for today.

My butter cream recipe is a simple combination of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Be extreamely careful when adding the milk; you can't take it away if the icing becomes too runny.  This recipe I can't take credit for and has been a tried and true one from an old Betty Crocker cookbook.  

What You Need:

1/2 cup softened butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

About 2 teaspoons milk

Arrange cupcakes on a cake board in any arrangement.

The icing was done using an M1 Wilton tip with an icing bag.  Start by holding the icing tip about 2 inches above the cupcake in the center of the cupcake.  Squeeze until a star forms then begin circling in a counterclockwise rotation to create the pretty ruffles.

So helpful.....and covered in sugar and sprinkles!  Just makes her extra sweet!

Caidyn even popped on her apron to do the sprinkles and sugar pearls!  Such a big three year old.  She leaned over and whispered to me "I'm so glad you came to see me."  Sigh, heart melted.

Finished and ready for birthday girl.

Close up of the top of a cupcake.

Fabulous Fudge

I don't have a professional lighting crew or even a high tech camera but this is my super delicious fudge.  This dessert has been made in my family since I was young and is a recipe that was Mamie Eisenhower's family fudge recipe.  I enjoy it greatly and it is a memory that I cherish from making this with both my grandmother and my mother.  Three generations of ladies in my family have had a hand in preparing this for previous family holiday gatherings.  My husband loves fudge and agreed to be the "official taste tester" for this round.

Finished fudge already starting to cool

Prepare in advance a jelly roll pan by either buttering it or line it with parchment paper as I did above.  This allows the fudge to cool but to be easily lifted from the pan.

Mix and boil for 6 minutes: 4.5 cups white sugar, pinch of salt, 2 Tbsp butter and 1 tall can of Pet Evaporated Milk (make sure to shake this can of milk very well before opening).

Use a large enough pot to have room to boil.

Stir the mixture constantly and watch for it to try and boil over.  Turn down the heat if it is getting close.

In a large heat proof combine: 12 ounces of chocolate chips, 12 ounces Baker's German chocolate, 1 pint jar marshmallow cream and 2 cups finely ground nuts.  I prefer and have always used Black Walnuts that were grown and picked on our farm.

Break all chocolate into small pieces to allow it to melt quickly.

As soon as the heated mixture has boiled, pour it into the chocolate mixture and begin to work it quickly. Stir fast with a large silicone spatula to allow the chocolate to melt and then immediately pour into the prepared pan and work quickly to smooth it out.  The faster you can work the mixture before it cools, the glossier and more silkily the fudge will look when it has cooled.  

Stir quickly!!

I place the pan in the fridge to finish cooling and then cut into bite sized pieces of about 1 inch square.  Store in containers in the fridge for maximum freshness.  Enjoy!

Ready for my closeup!