Sweet Love and Ginger

Back in the Running Groove & More Grilled Cheese

Back in the Running Groove & More Grilled Cheese

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Have you noticed and influx of grilled cheese recipes from
me lately? I have, am beginning to think that I have a problem.

The last few months we haven’t been eating a lot of bread. I
mean really, Chuck and I have the same 2 loafs of Italian bread, and sliced
bread in our freezer since before we moved almost 2 months ago. So maybe I am
just going through bread withdrawal and my body wants it back.

Maybe it’s the weather. I mean there’s a little nip in the
air still and grilled cheese has cozy connotations.

It could also be because when we moved Momma chuck loaded us
up with cold cuts so we wouldn’t have to worry about food, and we don’t want
the cheese to go bad.

Maybe it’s because I started running again. I already
admitted to you that I haven’t exactly been on the workout
band wagon, so this has probably been pretty shocking for my body.

I don’t know what happened. I forced myself to run the 2.62
miles for Boston, and despite the crappy feeling and circumstances going in, I
felt freakin wonderful after. The following weekend my college roommate came to
visit, and forced me to run with her, because she wasn’t familiar with the
area, but I’m glad she did, because the following Monday I was at it again.
After running an easy 3 miles I still had the enegery to do an ab workout and a
yoga session. And this has persisted ever since!

Where is this energy coming from? I’m seriously questioning
how on earth I have been able to jump back in; when in the past getting back
into the swing of things has been a very slow process.

Maybe I shouldn’t question it.

Whatever the reasons are for my new found energy or my
grilled cheese obsession here is the latest creation that I made for leftover
lunch the other day when there was no pasta left to go with my chicken parm.

Sorry for the crappy picture. It’s from work, but I still ahd to share.
 
 
Chicken Parmesan
Grilled Cheese

1 prepared parmesan chicken breast
2 slices of mozzarella cheese
2 slices bread of choice
1 tbs butter
Warm the chicken either in the microwave or the oven. Place cheese side down on 1 slice of bread. Add both slices of cheese and top with remaining piece of bread. Butter both sides of the bread and place in a skillet on medium heat. Cook until the bread is toasted and cheese melted. Serve.

How can you not love this; this cheesy saucy toasty sandwich
of wonder? I mean come on!

Filed Under: Recipe

D4One: Clean Bruschetta Chicken & Alfredo Sauce

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I am super excited about this recipe. It’s got a great
combination of fresh ingredients, with wonderful bold flavors, that meld
together wonderfully for a wonderfully well balanced meal.

The alfredo sauce is rich, creamy and wonderfully thick,
something that is not always found in clean recipes, but makes me so happy. I
especially love how wonderfully it picks up the flavors of any herbs and spices
that are added. This paired with the bruschetta chicken is a real winner,
especially when you add just a little bit more of the tomato mixture. The fresh
juicy tomatoes and basil add brightness and texture to the dish which really
makes a great visual impression. I really like the combination of the cold
tomato mixture on top of the warm chicken, alfredo and melty cheese.

This meal made me feel like I was eating at a restaurant,
except that I was really in sweatpants, watching White Collar, and it only took
about 20 minutes. Do you believe that? I mean really! I started boiling the water
for the pasta, and had the chicken done long just as it started to boil, and by
the time the pasta was done so was its sauce. That’s great right?

Clean Bruschetta Chicken

1 medium tomato, deseeded and diced

2-3 large basil leaves, staked rolled and sliced thin

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tbs oil

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 chicken paillard

1 slice low fat mozzarella cheese

In a small bowl combine the tomato, basil and garlic,
tossing to mix, set aside. Preheat grill, grill pan, or skillet (be sure to
grease the pan with cooking spray). Combine oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Place
chicken on the grill and brush top and sides with balsamic mixture. Continue to
cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes a side, brushing with vinegar mixture continuously.
Once chicken is nearly cooked through add cheese to the top and cook for an
additional minute or 2 until the cheese melts. Remove from heat and serve with
tomato mixture on top.

 

Clean Alfredo Sauce

1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup skim or other low fat milk

¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

½ cup low fat ricotta cheese

In a thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat
and sauté garlic for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Reduce heat to
low and add milk. Slowly add in parmesan cheese and whisk until well blended.
While whisking add in ricotta cheese. Continue to whisk until well blended and
smooth. Sreve warm over prepared pasta.

Random thought: Does anyone else feel an incredible urge to
drink wine while watching a show like White Collar? I swear it gets me every
time!

Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Tomato & Herbs

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I’m not gonna lie I LOVE grilled cheese, and it’s pretty
well on an equal playing field with BLT’s, both are pretty fabulous. So when I
came across this recipe and realized that it not only was a cross between
these two great sandwiches, but it added herbs I knew I had to try it.

I changed up a few things from the original; for starters I
opted for mayo instead of butter, because I wanted it to be a spread inside the
sandwich, so it saved a step to use it on the outside as well. This also upped
the rosemary presence. I also used provolone cheese, for something a little
different.

Bacon Tomato &
Rosemary Grilled Cheese

2 tbs mayonnaise

1 tsp rosemary

3-4 strips of bacon

2 slices of bread

2 -4 slices provolone cheese

1-2 thick slices of tomato

In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise and rosemary,
and set aside. In a skillet cook bacon until crispy, remove from pan and drain
grease, leaving a light coating in the pan. On medium high heat toast each
piece of bread for 1-2 minutes a side, or until golden brown. Remove from heat
and place roughly ½ tbs of mayonnaise mixture on both pieces of bread. Next
layer a slice of cheese on both sides, on one side layer bacon, and tomato,
topping with the other piece of bread and cheese. Sparingly spread a little of
the mayonnaise mixture on the outside of the sandwich (this will give it a nice
golden color). And place it back in the pan, cooking on medium-low until the
cheese has melted, and the outside has become golden brown.

I know it’s a short post but I just HAD to share this with
you.

That is all.

Filed Under: Recipe

Hello Fresh Herbs & An Easy Recipe

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Look!

My chives are starting to poke their little heads out of the
dirt after a long winter! Is that not the most exciting thing ever?

I am currently working on a plan for a garden at the new
place. The back yard is small, we like to entertain and play outside so it’s a
little tricky but I think I have a plan that will work that however is a post
for another day. Today my focus is on herbs in food.

Herbs are perhaps my absolute most Favorite ingredient that
I simply could not do without. I think we all know the power that herbs have
over the taste of any dish, but I particularly like them on their own. Though
Chuck may not agree with me, I think anything that has massive chunks of
parsley, or basil is pretty much the best thing ever, I even like basil in my
lemonade, and we aren’t talking lemon basil either.

I keep telling myself that someday I will have a beautiful garden
full of fresh perennial herbs, I will someday learn to grow annuals from seeds
and they will actually live past a couple weeks. I will learn how to properly
dry, and store these herbs to enjoy them year round and know that I grew them.
When people try my food they will sing praises from the roof tops and exclaim
wonders of the pure and abundant flavor that comes from my cooking and my herbs.

I totally just started day dreaming there a little bit, did
you catch that?

I digress, the spring time weather has quite obviously got
me daydreaming of fresh herbs, so I decided to make this easy fresh pasta salad
for lunch the other day. Its great both warm and cold, though if left in the
fridge overnight I have found that it allows more herbaceous flavor to sink in.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture idk whats up with blogger

Herb & Ricotta
Pasta

1 cup pasta, cooked aldente

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4-5 basil leaves, chopped

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1 tbs chopped fresh chives

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup low fat milk

¼ – ½ cup low fat ricotta cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

In a sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat and sauté
onions for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add all other herbs and
cook for an addition 2-3 minutes, they will start to become fragrant. Reduce
heat to low, and stir in milk. Add pasta and toss. Add ricotta cheese in
increments, thoroughly mixing until reaching desired cheesiness. Add salt &
pepper to taste, and serve warm, or refrigerate over night and serve cold.

Irish Chicken & Herb Dumplings

By

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Have you ever been to Five Below? That place is a maze of
awesomeness, it’s just like the dollar store but the stuff lasts two weeks
instead of just one, and costs $5 or less. I happened to be poking around there
recently and came across this Irish Cook Book.

 

Now anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Ireland, especially the food. I grew up with stews, green peas, scones and tea; don’t even get me started on my dad’s favorite, boiled dinner. I flipped through this book thinking, that it would probably be wicked boring, and to my great surprise it was filled with recipes that I really wanted to try, so I sprung for the 4 bucks and bought it. I hope you are ready for about a trillion new Irish recipes.

Earlier this week I had a really awesome spring cold. The kind that feel like a bomb went off in your sinus cavity, yeah it was pretty fun. So on Monday I decided to make myself some chicken soup and use the herb dumpling recipe from this book.

The original recipe was for a roasted pork shoulder with the dumplings boiled separately, but I just tossed them in to the pot with my stew and they came out perfectly. Also the original instructions suggested using parsley and mint or anything other preferred herb. I went with chives because I had them, but my guess is that the use of mint would be great in a lamb stew. Just a thought.
Irish Chicken & Herb Dumplings
Irish Chicken & Herb Dumplings
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbs oil
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 large celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 tbs all purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp pepper +more to taste
  • 1 lb cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Salt to taste
  • For dumplings:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tbs chives, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbs softened butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbs milk
Instructions
  1. In a thick bottomed sauce pan Heat oil, and melt butter.
  2. Add carrots, onion, celery and thyme and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
  3. Stir in flour until well blended before adding broth.
  4. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
  5. Add bay leaf, pepper, and chicken. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile sift together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and herbs for dumplings. With a fork blend in butter, until it begins to forms loose crumbs. Carefully stir in egg and milk until a dough forms. With lightly floured hands form 2 inch diameter dumplings.
  7. After 15 minutes stir frozen peas into the soup and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
  8. Add dumplings and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to float.
  9. Remove bay leaves, adjust seasonings, and serve warm.

 

 Even in my numbed taste buds enjoyed this one, and Chuck especially did. The stew was wonderfully creamy, and flavorful, the vegetables perfectly tender, and the dumplings light and refreshing. It was the perfect antidote for my cold symptoms. Ok maybe I had a little help from cough drops, honey, tea, and Alka-Seltzer, I’m still saying it was the soup though.
Irish Chicken & Herb Dumplings

 

This might also be a helper (comfort meal?) in light of this weeks most recent events in Boston and in Texas. My prayers are filled with hope and sorrow.