Broccoli with Cajun Garlic Butter

I know I promised you this recipe yesterday, and I didn't deliver. And I know that you kept refreshing the site all day, waiting for this broccoli recipe, getting angrier and angrier when it didn't appear. Because I know that vegetable side dishes are just that important to you.

I'm kidding of course. I doubt broccoli is that important to you. I mean, broccoli is broccoli is broccoli, right? I'm constantly on the look-out for new vegetable recipes, though, because simple steamed veggies can obviously get a bit boring after a while. My boys could eat steamed vegetables with a little bit of butter and salt every single day, but sometimes Joe and I need a little bit more flavor.

I think the method that I used for this broccoli is a real winner, and that it will work with all kinds of seasoning blends and many different vegetables. This method uses basic steamed broccoli, but when the broccoli is finished steaming, it's coated with a combination of melted butter, garlic, and Cajun seasoning. You could change up the seasoning blend by using any dried herb, Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning, lemon pepper...the list goes on and on. It adds a ton of flavor to a simple steamed vegetable, taking it from ordinary to extraordinary!

Broccoli with Cajun Garlic Butter

1 bag frozen steam-in-a-bag broccoli (or 2 heads broccoli, chopped into florets and steamed without salt)

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1. While the broccoli is steaming, heat the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and continue to cook over low heat until fragrant. Add the Cajun seasoning and stir until it's fully incorporated.

2. Place the broccoli in a large bowl and pour the warm butter mixture over it, tossing gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Cajun Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

Oh man, was this sandwich ever delicious. I already knew that Cajun flavors and ranch dressing were a delicious combination thanks to this pasta, and I was eager to try the combo again using one of my favorite vehicles: the sandwich! I generously seasoned chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning, cooked 'em up, then topped the sandwiches with Swiss cheese, bacon, and a generous drizzle of ranch. To up the ranch flavor even more, you could add some powdered ranch seasoning to the chicken breasts.

I made three sandwiches and, after devouring two, Joe told me, "I wish you'd made another one of these, because I could definitely have eaten a third." I glowed with the compliment, but what I didn't tell him was that, if I'd made another one, he'd have had to fight me for it -- because I could have certainly eaten two! Therefore, the recipe below is for four sandwiches. :)

On Wednesday I'll tell you about the simple, delicious broccoli I made to go with these sandwiches.

Cajun Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

4 strips of bacon, halved

4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets, pounded thin

Cajun or creole seasoning

4 slices Swiss cheese

Ranch dressing

4 sandwich buns, split and toasted

1. Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat to desired crispness. Remove to paper towels to drain.

2. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning. In the same skillet you used for the bacon, cook the chicken until browned and cooked through.

3. To serve, place chicken on the bottom half of a bun and top with a slice of Swiss cheese, two pieces of bacon, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.

Brownie Batter Dip

I don't know if there's anything more adorable than the idea of a group of preschoolers having a tailgate party. I mean, a bunch of four-year-olds dressed in their team's colors, eating tailgating food? The cuteness of that is off the charts!

Andrew's class had a tailgating party recently, and by the time I made my way to the sign-up sheet, all of the spots for specific items (fruit, cheese, yogurt, juice boxes, etc.) were already filled. But that was more than okay with me! I placed Andrew's name on one of the "other" lines and immediately began to brainstorm what I'd make.

There are obviously lots of football-shaped food ideas out there, but given his class's food allergies and my own time limitations, I wanted something very simple. I finally decided on brownie batter dip with various dippers, since I knew that would be a big hit with the kids. To make it even more festive, I served it in an oval-shaped dish and piped football laces down the center with white decorating frosting.

Not only is the presentation adorable, but this dip is also absolutely delicious. It is so addictive, and really does taste like brownie batter (minus the raw eggs, of course). The kids seemed to like it best with graham crackers, but I preferred it with salty pretzels to balance out the sweetness. It's both a blessing and a curse that I brought home leftovers from Andrew's preschool. This dip is perfect for tailgaters of any age!

Brownie Batter Dip

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar, plus more for a stiffer consistency, if needed

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons milk

Pretzels, strawberries, graham crackers, animal crackers, etc. for dipping

1. In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, mix together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Mix well.

2. Add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix until fluffy and smooth. Add additional powdered sugar and/or milk, if needed, until desired consistency is reached. The dip should be soft enough to easily dip a pretzel in (without breaking the pretzel!) but not so soft that it spreads out instead of holding its shape.

3. To make it tailgate-themed, serve in an oval dish and pipe football laces down the center with white frosting.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

I'm getting a late start on my pumpkin baking this year. Joe's been dropping not-so-subtle hints for about a month now, but we've been so busy on the weekends that I haven't had much time to bake. I have to say that I picked a real winner for my inaugural fall 2012 pumpkin recipe. These little cookies have just the right amount of pumpkin and spice flavor, and the frosting is simply divine. Oh, that frosting...it's so delicious, there really are no words. It tastes like a praline, minus the pecans; and in fact, next time I make these, I'm going to stir pecans into half of the frosting, because I think they'd add a delicious crunchy element to these cookies.

I used a half-tablespoon measuring spoon for the cookies to keep them pretty small, because I suspected that the frosting would be very sweet -- and I was right. I thought the cookies were the perfect size to be paired with such a sweet frosting, and I got about 5 dozen cookies out of one batch of dough. That was on Sunday, and I think there are probably only 2 dozen cookies left. Whoops!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting
adapted from Your Homebased Mom

For the cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until well-blended. Drop by half-tablespoons onto nonstick cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool completely before frosting.

3. To make the frosting, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is mostly smooth (this will take 2 or 3 minutes). Add milk and vanilla and whisk to combine, then remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Spread frosting over cooled cookies.

Pesto Chicken Crescent Pockets

When I first saw this recipe, I'm not too proud to admit that I squealed with joy. You know how much I love stuffing things inside crescent rolls, right? I think this fact is fairly obvious if you've read this blog for any length of time. It should also be apparent by now how much I love pesto, so a recipe combining those two things was right up my alley.

These remind me a lot of the chicken pillows I made last year, but in this case, the crescent rolls are coated with crushed croutons rather than breadcrumbs. I loved the crushed croutons, because they made the coating so crunchy. I didn't serve these with a sauce (the filling is creamy enough) but you could always warm up some marinara if you wanted to. I kept the filling pretty simple (just pesto, chicken, cream cheese, mozzarella, and seasonings), but artichokes or sun-dried tomatoes would be great additions if you're so inclined. These are simple, delicious, and flavorful, and customizable in a bunch of different ways. I'll definitely be making them again.

Pesto Chicken Crescent Pockets

adapted from Chew Nibble Nosh

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup prepared basil pesto

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

1 1/2 cups croutons, any variety, crushed

1 stick butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, pesto, chicken, shredded mozzarella, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Unroll the tubes of crescent roll dough and separate into 8 rectangles, pressing the perforated seams to seal in the middle. Spoon some of the chicken mixture into the middle of each rectangle.

4. Bring up the corners of the dough over the scoop of chicken, pressing to seal. Press to seal the seams on the sides of the bundle as well.

5. Dip each bundle in butter, then dredge them in the crushed croutons. Place them on a nonstick cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.