February Re-Make Re-Cap

I am just completely over winter. I'm done with it. I know that this is reflected in my attitude lately, as I find myself feeling irritable and just kind of blah. I tell you this because the truth is that I haven't had a lot of energy to cook lately, so a lot of the meals I'd planned for the month just didn't get made. I still cooked a fair amount, though -- some great new recipes I'll share in the coming weeks, and a few of our favorites. Here's what I re-made during February.

Joe requested fried pickle ranch burgers for dinner on Super Bowl Sunday. He also requested that I add bacon to them, which was a stroke of genius on his part. I loved the way the smoky flavor of the bacon worked with the briny pickles. I used refrigerated deli pickle slices this time, but I actually think I prefer the plain old dill variety for these burgers.

Joe also requested this spicy sausage dip for the Super Bowl. It definitely wasn't our healthiest night of eating, that's for sure. This is hands-down my favorite dip in the entire world. It's probably a good thing that I generally only make it for football-related sporting events and thus won't be enjoying it again until September. I'm sure my waistline will thank me.

This chicken with feta, roasted tomatoes, and garlic butter spinach spaghetti is one of the simplest meals I prepare, but it's probably one of my absolute favorites. I just love the way all of the flavors work together. And you know how I am with roasted tomatoes. I'll eat them on or with practically anything. I took my own advice this time and used half a pound of spaghetti noodles rather than just a quarter pound. I know my boys were happy about this, because they were slurping up the noodles like they were candy (green stuff included!!).

I never miss an excuse to use festive sprinkles, or to make these soft sugar cookie bars. This month that excuse was Valentine's Day. I made these for the boys' classes, and took the other half with me to work. It would just be dangerous to have these hanging around the house, because I simply can't resist them. Andrew calls these "sugar brownies," which I just love.

These Southwest sloppy joes with honey-lime coleslaw are our favorite version of sloppy joes. The creamy, sweet and tangy coleslaw pairs so perfectly with the spicy beef mixture. I love the texture that the corn and beans provide. When I made the sloppy joes this time, I also sprinkled them with some shredded queso quesadilla cheese.

My boys (and my husband, for that matter) get so excited whenever they hear we're having pizza panini for dinner. I always have all of these ingredients on hand, so this is a quick, easy, and family-pleasing meal for the nights when I just don't feel like making anything too complicated.

Biscuits with sausage gravy is one of my favorite comfort foods. Newer readers may have missed this recipe, since I posted it so long ago. I really, really encourage you to try this one. My version of sausage gravy is far from traditional, and uses maple sausage and cream cheese. Every time I make this, Joe reiterates that it's one of the best things I've ever made.

One of my coworkers celebrated her birthday this month, and lemon cake is her favorite dessert, so I made her a batch of these lovely lemon cupcakes. I frosted them with the same buttercream I use for the sugar cooke bars and gave them a good dose of sprinkles (of course). I really think these are just the best lemon cupcakes. They have such wonderful flavor and texture.

These BBQ chicken sandwiches with onion strings are so good, they're crave-worthy. I love everything about these sandwiches; all of the ingredients just work. We just had these for dinner last night, but now I totally want to have them again tonight.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken Spaghetti

I think most of us can agree on the following two things: 1. Salsa chicken is one of the simplest, most delicious ways to serve chicken; and 2. Chicken spaghetti is one of the yummiest, most comforting meals on the planet. Now that we've established that, I think we can also agree that combining the two dishes results in a meal that is simple, flavorful, and delicious.

This meal really couldn't be easier. Salsa chicken, cheese sauce, spaghetti, and boom; dinner's ready. Joe liked this a lot, but the boys loved it. It's one of the only times I've ever successfully convinced them to eat Mexican(ish) food.

Salsa chicken is one of those things I always make in a big batch and freeze for later, and this is the perfect way to use it. Tacos one night, cheesy chicken spaghetti the next.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken Spaghetti

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup salsa

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 pound dry spaghetti, broken in half

4 tablespoons butter

1 red onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies, drained

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups freshly shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Chopped cilantro for serving

1. Combine chicken, salsa, chicken stock, chili powder and cumin in a Crock pot. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Shred chicken and set aside.

2. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente; drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent. Add garlic and green chilies, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another minute or so.

4. Stir in the flour until smooth, then add the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Mix in the sour cream, then add the cheese in increments, letting each addition melt before adding more. Add the chicken to the cheese sauce.

5. Pour the cheese sauce over the spaghetti and stir to combine. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro, if desired.

Jalapeno Popper Breakfast Scramble

I love making (and eating!) breakfast foods, but since our breakfasts during the week are usually so quick, and the boys always ask for doughnuts or pancakes on the weekends, I don't always get to try new recipes as much as I'd like. But when this idea popped into my head, I knew I had to make it as soon as humanly possible -- for breakfast, for brinner, I didn't care; I just knew I needed to have it.

OMG, you guys, just: OMG. This breakfast scramble was indescribably delicious and turned out exactly like I was hoping. It had all the flavor of a jalapeno popper, with the addition of crispy, salty hash browns. Mixing the cream cheese into the scrambled eggs gave them such a creamy, velvety texture, and the contrast with the crisp bacon and potatoes was just perfect. You could easily cut the amount of cream cheese in half, but I used the full 8 ounces because I didn't want half a brick sitting around in my refrigerator. Joe raved and raved about this. I even took the leftovers for lunch the next day, and I was so suprised by how well they held up.

Those of you who share my jalapeno popper obsession are going to love this recipe; and, for those of you who don't share that obsession...Well, I think this just might sway you.

Jalapeno Popper Breakfast Scramble

1 pound bacon, chopped

2 jalapenos, finely diced

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 cups shredded frozen hash brown potatoes

8 eggs

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used a triple cheddar blend)

1. Cook bacon to desired crispness in a large skillet. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Add jalapenos and cook until just softened, then place the jalapenos in a large bowl.

2. Heat the canola oil in another large skillet. Add hash browns in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and let them get crispy. After they're crispy, flip them over to let the other side brown.

3. Add the eggs, cream cheese, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to the reserved jalapenos and scramble. The cream cheese will still be in chunks in the eggs, but that's fine.

4. Pour the scrambled egg mixture over the hashbrowns, add reserved bacon, and mix it all together until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover to let it melt. Serve.

Granola Pie

My cooking club's theme for January was "childhood favorites," and as soon as I was assigned the dessert course I knew exactly what I was going to make. This recipe isn't exactly a childhood favorite, because I don't think my mom started making it until I was a teenager -- but once she started making this pie I never stopped asking for it, and we probably had it at least once a month. I'd never made it myself before, but I knew it's what I had to make for cooking club.

This pie was every bit as delicious as I remembered. I know it sounds a little strange -- granola bars crushed up in pie? -- but it just works. The granola bars give it such a delicious texture and work perfectly with the walnuts, and the chocolate chips make this so rich. I've only ever made this with oats and honey granola bars, but I bet you could use any flavor and get delicious results. I like eating it with a (large) dollop of whipped cream on top, which is the perfect thing to cut through all the sweet richness.

Granola Pie

slightly adapted from Pillsbury

Crust for 1 9-inch pie

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs, lightly beaten

4 crunchy oats and honey granola bars, crushed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup oats (quick-cooking or old-fashioned will work)

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whipped cream for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges.

2. Microwave butter on high for 1 minute or until melted. Sitr in brown sugar and corn syrup until blended. Beat in salt, vanilla and eggs. Stir crushed granola bars, walnuts, oats, and chocolate chips into the brown sugar mixture. Pour into the crust-lined pie plate.

3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. During the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover the crust with strips of foil to avoid over-browning. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve at any temperature with whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.    

Warm Greek Chicken Wraps with Roasted Tomatoes

I think lots of people probably have a cuisine that they crave every once in a while, and for me that cuisine is Greek. I crave it often, and there are times that I just can't get it out of my mind until I eat it. Here lately I'm craving it once a week, so Greek-inspired meals have appeared on our meal plans frequently.

These wraps are one of my recent creations and man, are they delicious. Tzatziki sauce, Greek-seasoned chicken, olives, feta, and roasted tomatoes...I couldn't ask for more out of a meal. The roasted tomatoes take these wraps to another level with their sweet flavor and soft, slightly charred texture. They're absolutely perfect with the tangy bite of the feta cheese.

You could use kalamata olives for these wraps, which I think would be delicious, but I used green olives since they're the only kind my husband likes. (We buy Lindsay brand, and he eats them like candy.) Possibly the best thing about this meal, aside from how delicious it is, is that it comes together in just about 15 minutes, so it's a perfect weeknight dinner.

Warm Greek Chicken Wraps with Roasted Tomatoes

For the tomatoes:

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

For the tzatziki sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

1 clove garlic, pasted

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and shredded

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

For the wraps:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Greek seasoning

Feta cheese, crumbled

Olives, chopped

Flour tortillas

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a foil-lined baking sheet, mix the tomatoes with the vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, or until the skins have burst.

2. While the tomatoes are cooking, combine all the ingredients for the tzatziki sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Refrigerate until serving.

3. Season chicken on both sides with Greek seasoning. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a medium skillet; add chicken and cook, turning once, until chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let the chicken rest while the tomatoes finish cooking. Slice the chicken thinly.

4. Spread a layer of tzatziki sauce on a flour tortilla and top with chicken, roasted tomatoes, feta and olives.