Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

I’m all about a new twist on an old classic! These were delicious and extremely fast and easy.

The kids and hubby LOVED them. It tastes exactly like a Cheesesteak. The flavors were spot on. This made just enough for my little family of 4 (well 4 that eat real food:) So if you have more than 2 adults and 2 small children to feed, you’ll have to double it. You want the peppers good and stuffed…like I pressed the filling down into every crevice of the pepper. Also, if you don’t like a super firm pepper (like me…I don’t) then just blanch the peppers before you fill them – it’ll soften them up a bit. Enjoy the yumminess of comfort food, low carb style!

8 oz. thinly sliced Roast Beef
8 slices Provolone Cheese
2 large green bell peppers
1 medium onion
6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 T garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds.

Mince onions and mushrooms.  Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper.  Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop roast beef into small pieces and add to the onion/mushroom mixture.  Allow to cook 5 minutes
Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese. Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing (REALLY press that mixture in:)

Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.

*From Peace, Love and Low Carb

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

These little babies gave me my first paid cupcake job:) I made them, someone tasted them and then asked me to make them for a birthday party. I filled a few with the lemon curd, then decided they were better topped with the curd because the blueberries made the cake so moist.

And plus, the cupcakes don’t rise so much, so fill those babies full! The whole batter should fill a 24-cupcake tin.

But see how pretty and summery they are?! Perfect for a non-chocolate option. Then top them with my new absolutely favorite fluffy and delicious whipped cream cheese frosting. I’m loving the frosting because it’s still cream cheesy, but it doesn’t have butter so it holds up REALLY well at room temperature and isn’t as heavy.  The end result is a pretty heavenly cupcake! The tang from the curd, the moistness from the blueberries, the lightness of the frosting…who wouldn’t pay for these?!

Lemon-Blueberry Cake
2 cups plus 6 T flour
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
3 cups fresh blueberries (reserve 24 blueberries if you want to use them for garnish)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 t vanilla
1 t lemon juice
1 t lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake papers.  Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Transfer 1 T flour mixture to larger bowl. Add fresh blueberries and toss to coat them with flour. Set remaining flour mixture and blueberries aside.

Stir whole milk, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest in small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, until pale yellow and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide batter equally among cupcake cups.

Bake until toothpick inserted into center of a couple cupcakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks for about 10 minutes, then put onto racks until completely cool. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Lemon Curd
*If you’re going to fill the cupcakes, I suggest doubling the recipe. But if you’re just going to top them with the curd, one batch is plenty.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of one large lemon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 t cornstarch
pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and zest.

Mix together the sugar, salt and cornstarch and add it to the pan.  Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth and return to heat. Cook over medium-low heat for roughly 10 minutes until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil.

Once thickened, strain the mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Allow to chill in the refrigerator completely before using. Stir before using.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
16oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, cold

Beat the cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks. Fold the whipped heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture. Do not over beat. Pipe onto cupcakes topped with lemon curd. Enjoy!!

*PS: I added about 1-2 t of lemon juice to this frosting for this particular recipe. It gave it a hint of lemon, without overpowering. You don’t want to add too much because the lemon curd is VERY lemony.

*Cake and curd adapted from theregoesthecupcake.com
*Frosting from Not So Humble Pie

Thai Chicken AKA: The Best Chicken EVER

I had this for the first time at my Aunt Mara’s house. I’ve gotten A LOT of my awesome recipes from her and her recipe collections. She suggested we make this chicken and said her family dies over it. When I read that it had peanut butter in it, I was EXTREMELY skeptical. I’m not really into savory dishes with peanut butter in them. Not at all. Well this chicken broke the mold. I LOVE THIS CHICKEN. That’s a fact. After I had it at my aunts, I made it 3 more times in the next 2 weeks. It’s THAT GOOD. Flavorful, moist and perfect. If you’re having people over for a summer BBQ, make this your main dish…people with beg at your feet for the recipe. If you’re having a lot of people over, definitely double the recipe. I actually double it every time because the chicken is perfect chopped up and cold on top of a salad.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless  chicken (either tenderloins or breasts cut in half)

1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter

2 limes juiced and zested

3 cloves garlic

3 T soy sauce

3T brown sugar

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

1 T fresh ginger, minced or 1 t ground ginger

1 T sesame oil

skewers, soaked in water

Combine all ingredients besides chicken in a bowl and whisk together. Combine marinade and chicken and put in a ziploc bag. Marinate in fridge overnight or at least 2 hours. Place each chicken piece on a skewer and grill on a BBQ. Enjoy the best chicken you’ve ever had!!

Chicken With Tomato-Basil Sauce

I came across this recipe and knew it was one I wanted to try. I’m always on board for a new, simple chicken recipe. The hubbs LOVED this and licked his plate clean. I just sat and spooned the sauce into my mouth...yummmmm. A great recipe for something different to put into your chicken rotation. 

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (you can use dried)
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup regular cream (I just used milk)
1/2lb spaghetti

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken & grind fresh pepper on each side. Cover & cook until done, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and set aside, keeping covered. (You can also grill the chicken.)

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking 1-2 minutes, just until soft.  With a whisk, add flour and stir. Add tomatoes; stir.  Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisking constantly to remove any lumps.  Add cream, still whisking. Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let sit; it will continue to thicken, feel free to stir every so often as you cook the spaghetti.

Add fresh basil to sun dried tomato sauce and give it a good stir.
Place spaghetti noodles on serving plates, placing chicken directly on top of noodles.  Spoon as much sauce as you would like over chicken and noodles. Enjoy!  

*From gabbiskitchen.com

Risotto

This is one of the first recipes I put on this blog when I first started it. Have you ever had risotto? If you haven’t, YOU MUST!! It has to be one of my most favorite foods. It is a little labor-intensive, but man is it worth it! I usually save it for special occasions, or when the hubby requests it. For instance, it made an appearance on Father’s Day. It’s so rich, creamy and perfect. Here’s to remembering old recipes!!

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 small or 1/2 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Arborio rice
7 to 8 c chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
2 cups (total) grated Parmesan, Romano, Asiago or Swiss cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped chives

Heat oil and butter in large skillet, then add chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. Dump in 1 pound dry Arborio rice, and stir to coat. Then add the broth, in 1-cup increments, stirring after each addition until liquid is absorbed (add one cup broth, stir until liquid is absorbed, then add another cup, etc.) This takes about 20-30 minutes. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite. After all liquid is absorbed, add cream, cheese, salt & pepper, and stir to combine. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

*From The Pioneer Woman